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BRAZIL 



AND 



The Brazilians 

PORTRAYED IN 

9 

HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE 
SKETCHES. 



BY 

REV. JAMES C. FLETCHER 

AND 

REV. D. P. klDDER, D.D. 



Illustrated by One Hundred and Fifty Engravings. 



NINTH EDITION. 
REVISED and brought down to date. 

Mo.. 

BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. 

1879. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by 
J. C. FLETCHER, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



Cambridge : 
Press of John Wilson and Son. 



PREFACE TO THE NINTH EDITION. 



The demand for a ninth edition of this work is an index 
that the reading public, in America and England, takes a deep 
interest in the subject of Brazil ; and that the authors, in their 
attempt to prepare an acceptable book on the leading country of 
South America, have not labored in vain. 

The eighth edition had become exceedingly scarce ; copies 
commanded three times the original price ; and standing orders 
for the book, both in London and New York, for four years 
resulted in obtaining but a single second-hand volume. Upon 
inquiring into the reason for this scarcity, it was found to con- 
sist in the fact (1) that the historical portion of " Brazil and 
the Brazilians " gave the book a permanent place in both public 
and private libraries ; and (2) that the interest aroused in the 
United States, by the statistics published in this work, which 
showed the increasing importance of Brazil in a commercial 
point of view, caused this volume to fall into the hands of parties 
who never send their books to what are termed ; n America 
i " antiquarian book-stores." 

In this ninth edition there has been no abridgment of the 
descriptions of nature in Brazil, and the manners and customs of 
the people — descriptions which led the London Athenceum to 
say, in its review of the first edition, that " Brazil was never 
before so fully, so faithfully, so artistically photographed." 

The historical portions have been brought down to date. It 
is in no spirit of boasting, but it is only in accordance with 



iv Preface to the Ninth Edition. 

truth to say, that " Brazil and the Brazilians " contains the 
only continuous general history of the Empire in any language. 
Southey's great book on the history of Brazil, now exceedingly 
rare, does not even conclude with the first quarter of this cen- 
tury. Armitage's continuation of that history only reaches the 
period of the Regency, — in point of time nearly a half century 
ago, — and this work is altogether out of print. In the Portu- 
guese language the late Visconde do Porto Segnro (Varnhagen) 
amassed and published a vast amount of material for future 
historians, but he treated mainly of the Colonial Period. Sr. 
Pereira da Silva is now publishing at Rio de Janeiro what he 
purposes to be an exhaustive history of his native land. Although 
many volumes have appeared, the last only comes down to 1840, 
the epoch of the abolition of the Regency, and of the accession 
of Dom Pedro II. to the full exercise of his prerogatives as 
Emperor. 

The data in regard to the commerce of Brazil have been brought 
down to 1878, as will be found on page 195, in Chapter xxvni., 
and in the latter half of Appendix F. The American will be 
astonished to find that Brazil annually exports six times as much 
to the United States as she imports from the Great Republic ; 
that his country is only sixth in the trade with Brazil ; and he 
will not be astonished at one of the reasons for this, (which he 
may deem undue preponderance of the commerce of Brazil with 
the old world,) when he learns that Europe maintains steamship 
lines that annually make three hundred round trips to Brazil, 
while the United States has to meet this competition with one 
line of steamers, making yearly twelve round trips. 

Many important events are treated of which have occurred 
since the issue of the eighth edition, e.g. the successful close of 
the Paraguayan war (pages 352-353); the Emancipation Act and 
the subject of slavery (pp. 132-139 and Chapter xxvni.) ; the 
triumph of the civil over the ecclesiastical law in 1874 and 1875 
(referred to in Chapter ix. and Appendix A) ; the tours of the 
Emperor to Europe and America (Chapter xxvni.) ; Brazil be- 
fore the world at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia 



Preface to the Ninth Edition. v 

(Chapter xxvni.) ; and the enterprise (pp. 456, 457) for develop- 
ing the resources of Western Brazil and Bolivia by a railway 
around the Falls of the Madeira, and by the navigation of the 
Marmore. Apropos of this last subject, the authors learn that 
while this work is passing through the press, the hindrances 
(referred to in Chapter xxni.) to this great enterprise for opening 
up the remote portions of Brazil and Bolivia have disappeared. 
The large trust fund of four millions of dollars deposited by the 
company in England " has been decided," says a recent issue of 
the New York Herald, " by three irrevocable decrees of the British 
Court of Chancery, to be available for the payment of the con- 
tractor's certificates, and places the Madeira and Marmore Com- 
pany above the reach of those who would gladly ruin it. To 
the indefatigable energy of Colonel Church, and the business 
ability and pluck of the Messrs. Collins, are due the success that 
has attended this grand scheme for developing the resources of 
Brazil and Bolivia." 

The facts on pages 424-425, concerning Gomes, the Brazilian 
musical composer, who has achieved fame in Europe, will be 
new to most readers. It is an interesting coincidence that the 
first musical composer of the western Continent should come 
from the land where repose the remains of Marcos Portugal, 
the composer of the famous " Portuguese Hymn," a tune sang in 
every Christian land.* The article on the yellow fever (Appen- 
dix D) will have a new interest for the medical reader, in view 
of the recent ravages of that disease in North America. 

* It is astonishing to find amongst the English and American compilers of 
** Hymnals," " Sacred Songs," and " Church Melodies," that they all fall into the 
error of attributing that grand and beautiful tune (called in England and America 
the "Portuguese Hymn ") to Redding, an English composer, who was born in the 
latter part of the seventeenth century, and died a century and a half ago. Marcos 
Portugal, who composed that tune for church music, died at Rio de Janeiro forty- 
five years ago. He composed much sacred music and several operas — the latter 
were often played in the first quarter of this century, in Portugal and in Italy. 
Some try to explain the name (" Portuguese Hymn ") by saying that the elder 
Novello, in London, arranged Redding's (?) composition for the services of the 
Portuguese Chapel. Marcos Portugal, who was Chapel-Master of the King of Por- 
tugal, composed the tune to the words beginning " Adeste fideles ; "and it was sung 
during the offertory in the Roman Catholic Church. — J. C. F. 



vi Preface to the Ninth Edition. 

Several full-page illustrations have been added, which cannot 
but enhance the value of this edition. The new portrait of 
the Emperor, engraved on steel, is from the last portrait taken 
of His Majesty in Europe, in 1877, and was sent by him, with 
his autograph, to the junior author. While Dom Pedro II. is 
an exceedingly healthy and energetic man, his hair and beard 
are prematurely gray, and give him the appearance of a person 
of greater age. He was fifty-three years old on Dec. 2, 1878, 
and has ruled, either by regents or in person, forty-eight j^ears, 
a longer period than any other living monarch. The portrait of 
the Emperor when he was twenty-eight, has been retained as 
a matter of histor} r . 

Amongst the illustrations are the portraits of the Visconde do 
Rio Branco, an eminent Brazilian statesman, who has often been 
premier ; of Sr. Saldanha Marinho, the well-known advocate, 
deputy, and Grand-Master Mason of Brazil; and of Sr. Carlos 
Gomes, the composer of the G-uarany, which is at present 
esteemed one of the finest leading operas on the Continent of 
Europe. 

The likenesses of the Visconde do Rio Branco (Chapter 
xxviii.), and of Saldanha Marinho (Chapter x.), are given 
because they are representative men in the conservative and 
liberal parties. 

It is almost needless to add that an entirely new Index has 
been prepared for this Edition. 

The experience of the authors in Brazil, and also in Portugal, 
extends over a long period, and they have endeavored conscien- 
tiously and impartially to give their views of the country and its 
people. They have had no motives to do otherwise. While 
they have not spared what they deemed faults, whether in 
religion, slavery, or other matters, they have not withheld praise 
when due, and it has not been from intention if they have failed 
to bring out the good points of the Brazilians. To foreign mer- 
chants in Brazil who have been unsuccessful, or to travellers 
hastening through the country, ignorant of the Portuguese and 
French languages, and never associating with the inhabitants, 



Preface to the Ninth Edition. vii 

the descriptions of those who have resided long in the Empire, 
or have travelled extensively through it, seem overwrought. 
One must always bear in mind the origin of the Brazilians, their 
newness among the nations of the earth, and the fact that the 
only true mode of comparing Brazil is not to measure her prog- 
ress with the United States, England, or France, but with the 
countries of America whose inhabitants are of the Latin race. 

To have detailed with only an ordinary degree of minuteness 
the changes and progress of Brazil for the last ten years, would 
alone require a large volume. As it is, there have been, of the 
emendations, by additions, by notes and by appendices, nearly 
one hundred pages, if in the ordinary text, of new matter printed 
in this edition. In some cases, letters and itineraries are retained, 
irrespective of date, because they illustrate manners and cus- 
toms that remain in statu quo. while they give descriptions of 
tropical nature, which is ever beautiful and unchanging. 

The thanks of the authors are especially due for aid and cor- 
rections, in preparing this edition, and for many other favors, 
to Dr. J. C. Roclrigues, a Brazilian gentleman of great worth 
who resides in New York, and who is the editor and proprietor 
of two most important and earnest papers in Portuguese, the 
Novo Mundo and the Revista Industrial; to Mr. Hitch, a partner 
in the house of Henry Forster & Co., Pernambuco ; to Mr. O. 
C. James, of Rio de Janeiro; and to E. F. Hodges, M.D., of 
Boston, Mass. 

New York. Jan. 1, 1S7^> 




PREFACE. 

The popular notion of Brazil is, 
to a certain extent, delineated in 
the accompanying side-illustrations. 
Mighty rivers and virgin forests, 
m-trees and jaguars, anacondas 
and alligators, howling monkeys 
and screaming parrots, diamond-mining, 
revolutions, and earthquakes, are the com- 
ponent parts of the picture formed in the 
mind's eye. It is probably hazarding no- 
thing to say that a very large majority of 
general readers are better acquaint- 
ed with China and India than with 
Brazil. How few seem to 
be aware that in the distant 
Southern Hemisphere is a 
stable constitutional mon- 
archy, and a growing na- 
tion, occupying a territory 
of greater area than that 
of the United States, and 
that the descendants of the 

3 



Preface. 



Portuguese hold the same relative position in South America 
as the descendants of the English in the northern half of the 
New World! How few Protestants are cognizant of the 
fact that in the territory of Brazil the Reformed religion was 
first proclaimed on the Western Continent! 

The following work, by two whose experience in the Bra- 
zilian Empire embraces a period of twenty years, endeavors 
faithfully to portray the history of the country, and, by a nar- 
rative of incidents connected with travel and residence in the 
land of the Southern Cross, to make known the manners, 
customs, and advancement of the most progressive people 
south of the Equator. 

While "Itineraries" relating to journeys of a few months in 
various portions of the Empire have been recently published, 
no general work on Brazil has been issued in Europe or 
America since the "Sketches" of the senior author, (D.P. K.,) 
which was most favorably received in England and the United 
States, but has long been out of print. 

Although the present volume is the result of a joint effort, 
the desire for greater uniformity caused the senior author 
to place his contributions in the hands of his 
junior colleague, (J. C. F.,) with the permission 
to use the name of the former in the third 
person singular. The amount of matter from 
each pen is, however, more 
nearly equal than at first sight 
would appear. 

The authors have consult- 
ed every important work in 
French, German, English, and 
Portuguese, that could throw 
light on the history of Brazil, 




Preface. 5 

and likewise various published memoirs and discourses read 
before the flourishing " Geographical and Historical Society " 
at Rio de Janeiro. For statistics they have either personally 
examined the Imperial and provincial archives, or have quoted 
directly from Brazilian state papers. 



The numerous illustrations are, with few exceptions, either from sketches, or 
photographic views taken on the spot. All have been faithfully as well as skil- 
fully executed by Messrs. Van Ingen & Snyder, of Philadelphia. The accompanying 
map, prepared by Messrs. G. W. & C. B. Colton & Co. is probably the best ever pub- 
lished of an Empire which has never been surveyed. In 1855 the junior author 
travelled more than three thousand miles in Brazil, making corrections of this map 
as he journeyed. 



Note for 1879. 

By a slip of the graver, Tabatinga, on the Amazon, in Brazil, has been made on 
the map to belong to Peru. The error was not discovered until the edition of the 
otherwise very correct map was worked off. 



NOTES FOR THOSE GOING TO BRAZIL. 

The Portuguese language is universally spoken in Brazil. It is not a dialect of the Spanish, but is 
a distinct tongue : as Yieyra says, it is the eldest daughter of the Latin. Portuguese and French are 
the Court languages. One-sixth of the population of large cities and towns speak French. Those 
acquainted with the French. Italian, or Spanish easily acquire the Portuguese. English is taught 
in all the higher schools. The best work for conveying a true knowledge of English and American 
literature to Brazilians and Portugueeeis the *j Chrestomathia da Lingua Inglesa " by Sr. J. C. Rodrigues 
(A. S. Barnes & Co., New York). While Messrs. Triibner & Co. in London, and the Messrs. Appleton, 
in New York, have published manuals for learning the Portuguese, it may be of advantage to state 
that if an Englishman or Anglo-American can give to the vowels the Continental sound, learn the 
contractions, accents, &c, and the peculiarities of two or three consonants, he will find the Portu- 
guese the easiest of all foreign tongues. The termination ao is pronounced almost like oun in the 
English word noun. Words ending in oes are pronounced as if an n were inserted between the e and 
the 5. Thus, Camoes, English Camoens. Terminations em and im are very nearly pronounced like 
eng and ing in English : e.g. Jerusalem is pronounced Jerusale«g-. X has the force of Sh ; thus, one 
of the great affluents of the Amazon, Xingu, is pronounced Shingu. 

The word Dom. (dominus,) which always precedes the name of the.Emperor, is not used indiscrimi- 
nately like the Don of the Spanish, but is a title applied by the Portuguese and their descendants 
only to monarchs, princes, and bishops. 

One milreis, (a thousand reis,) about fifty-six cents, or two shillings and sixpence English. The 
Brazilian unit-coin is always represented by the dollar sign after the mil : thus, 5$500 are five mil and 
five hundred reis, — about three dollars. A conto of reis is little more than £112. 

Clothes, of course, should be of a character adapted to the tropics ; but always take some woollen 
garments, for in the interior, and south of Bahia, the thermometer often indicates 60° Fahrenheit It 
hardly need be added that a dress-coat is indispensable for those going to the palace. All personal 
effects, like wearing apparel, are admitted duty free ; but the traveller would do well to remember 
that he should not be overstocked with cigars. There are many drawbacks at the custom-house in 
favor of goods belonging to emigrants, as agricultural implements, machinery, &c , &c. (vide page 333 
and the concluding chapter of this work.) 

As to the Patent Laws, mode of obtaining certain privileges for inventions, &c. William V. Lid- 
gerwood, Esq., (United States Charge d'Affaires in 1865-66,) can give more information than any other 
person in Brazil. The Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company (of which Mr William V. Lidgerwood is 
a member) manufactures and imports plantation and agricultural machinery for all parts of Brazil. 

Undoubtedly the strongest and oldest established American house in Brazil is that of Henry Forster 
& Co., of Pernambuco. Messrs. J. M. Wright & Co., and Messrs. Wright & Co., of Rio de Janeiro, 
are the largest commission and exporting American merchants at the capital. At Para, Mr. Bond is 
the representative of American commerce on the Amazon. 

Mr. 0. C. James, the sucoessor of Messrs. Fales & Duncan, is the agent of the Novo Mundo at Rio 
de Janeiro ; and executes general commissions, including railway plant. Gamier at Rio de Janeiro 
and Guelph de Lailhacar at Pernambuco keep English and American standard works. 

Hotels in Brazil are not equal to those in Europe or the States. At Rio all have high prices, 
ranging, according to room, from ten shillings English to £1. The Exchange Hotel and Hotel dos 
Estrangeiros are the best English hotels in the capital. Hotel d'Europa is the best French hotel. 
Bennett's, an hour from Rio, is the most comfortable place in Brazil. In Bahia, Hotel Furtin is a good 
restaurant, and convenient to those arriving from sea. At Pernambuco, the Hotel Universel has the 
same recommendations. The hotels of Bahia and Pernambuco are small, compared with those of Rio. 
The prices of 1856 (pages 295 and 296) are from one-third to one-half higher in 1866, — except at 
Pctropolis, at which place are several good hotels. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

The Bay of Rio de Janeiro — Historic Reminiscences — First Sight of the Tropics — 
Entrance to the Harbor — Night-Scenes — Impressions of Beauty and Grandeur — 
Gardner and Stewart — The Capital of Brazil — Distinction of Rio de Janeiro 13 

CHAPTER II. 

Landing — Hotel Pharoux — Novel Sights and Sounds — The Palace Square — Rua 
Direita — Exchan ge — The " Team" — Musical Coffee-Carriers — Custom-House — 
Lessons in Portuguese, and Governor Kent's Opinion of Brazil — Post-Office — Dis- 
like of Change — Senhor Jose Maxwell — Rua do Ouvidor — Shops and Feather- 
Flowers — The Brazilian Omnibus can be full — Narrow Streets and Police-Regu- 
lations — A Suggestion to relieve Broadway, New York — Passeio Publico — Bra- 
zilian Politeness — The " Gondola" — The Brazilian imperturbable — Lack of Hotels 
— First Night in Rio de Janeiro 24 

CHAPTER III. 

Discovery of South America — Pinzon's Visit to Brazil — Cabral — Coelho — Americus 
Vespucius — The Name " Brazil" — Bay of Rio de Janeiro — Martin Affonso de Souza 
— Past Glory of Portugal — Coligny's Huguenot Colony — The Protestant Banner 
first unfurled in the New World — Treachery of Villegagnon — Contest between 
the Portuguese and the French — Defeat of the Latter — San Sebastian founded — 
Cruel Intolerance — Reflections 46 

CHAPTER IV. 

Early State of Rio — Attacks of the French — Improvements under the Viceroys — 
Arrival of the Royal Family of Portugal — Rapid Political Changes — Departure of 
Dom John VI. — The Viceroyalty in the Hands of Dom Pedro — Brazilians dis- 
satisfied with the Mother-Country — Declaration of Independence — Acclamation of 
Dom Pedro as Emperor 61 

, CHAPTER V. 

The Andradas — Instructions of the Emperor to the Constituent Assembly — Dom 
Pedro I. dissolves the Assembly by Force — Constitution framed by a Special Com- 
mission — Considerations of this Document — The Rule of Dom Pedro I. — Causes of 
Dissatisfaction — The Emperor abdicates in favor of Dom Pedro II 73 

7 



8 Contents. 

CHAPTER VI. 

PAGE 

The Praia do Flamengo — The Three-Man Beetle — Splendid Views — The Man who 
cut down a Palm-Tree — Moonlight — Rio " Tigers " — The Bathers — Gloria Hill — 
Evening Scene — The Church — Marriage of Christianity and Heathenism — A Ser- 
mon in Honor of Our Lady — Festa da Gloria — The Larangeiras •— Ascent of the 
Coreovado — The Sugar-Loaf 86 



CHAPTER VII. 

Brotherhoods — Hospital of San Francisco de Paula — The Lazarus and the Rattle- 
snake — Misericordia — Sailor's Hospital at Jurujuba — Foundling-Hospital — Re- 
colhimento for Orphan-Girls — New Misericordia — Asylum for the Insane — Jose 
d'Anchieta, Founder of the Misericordia — Monstrous Legends of the Order — Friar 
John d' Almeida — Churches — Convents 107 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Illumination of the City — Early to Bed — Police — Gambling and Lotteries — Muni- 
cipal Government — Vaccination — Beggars on Horseback — Prisons — Slavery — 
Brazilian Laws in favor of Freedom — The Mina Hercules — English Slave-Holders 

— Slavery in Brazil Doomed 124 

CHAPTER IX. 

Religion — The Corruption of the Clergy — Monsignor Bedini —Toleration among the 
Brazilians — The Padre — Festivals — Consumption of "Wax — The Intrudo — Pro- 
cessions — Anjinhos — Santa Priscilliana — The Cholera not cured by Processions 140 

CHAPTER X. 

The Home-Feeling — Brazilian Houses — The Girl — The Wife — The Mother — Moorish 
Jealousy — Domestic Duties — Milk-Cart on Legs — Brazilian Lady's Delight— Her 
Troubles — The Marketing and Watering — Kill the Bixo —Boston Apples and Ice 

— Family Recreations — The Boy — The Collegio — Common-Schools — Highest Aca- 
demies of Learning — The Gentleman — Duties of the Citizen — Elections — Political 
Parties — Brazilian Statesmen 161 



CHAPTER XI. 

Praia Grande — San Domingo — Sabbath-Keeping — Mandioca — Ponte de Area — View 
from Inga — The Armadillo — Commerce of Brazil — The Finest Steamship Voyage 
in the World — American Seamen's Friend Society — The English Cemetery — Eng- 
lish Chapel — Brazilian Funerals — Tijuca — Bennett's— Cascades — Excursions — 
Botanical Gardens — An Old Friend — Home 187 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Campo Santa Anna — The Opening of the Assemblea Geral — History of Events 
succeeding the Acclamation of Dom Pedro II. — The Regency — Constitutional 
Reform — Condition of Political Parties before the Revolution of 1840 — Debates in 
the House of Deputies — Attempt at Prorogation — Movement of Antonio Carlos — 
Deputation to the Emperor — Permanent Session —Acclamation of Dom Pedro's 



Contents. 9 

PAGB 

Majority — The Assembly's Proclamation — Rejoicings — New Ministry — Public 
Congratulations — Real State of Things — Ministerial Programme — Preparations for 
the Coronation — Change of Ministry — Opposition come into Power — Coronation 
postponed — Splendor of the Coronation — Financial Embarrassments — Diplomacy 
— Dissolution of the Camara — Pretext of Outbreaks — Council of State — Restora- 
tion of Order — Sessions of the Assembly — Imperial Marriages — Ministerial Change 
— Present Condition 211 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Emperor of Brazil — His Remarkable Talents and Acquirements — New York 
Historical Society — The First Sight of D. Pedro II. — An Emperor on Board an 
American Steamship — Captain Foster and the " City of Pittsburg" — How D. Pedro 
II. was received by the " Sovereigns" — An Exhibition of American Arts and Manu- 
factures — Difficulties overcome — Visit of the Emperor — His Knowledge of American 
Authors — Success among the People — Visit to the Palace of S. Christovao — Long- 
fellow, Hawthorne, and Webster 231 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Brazilian Literature — The Journals of Rio de Janeiro — Advertisements — The Freedom 
of the Press — Effort to put down Bible-Distribution — Its Failure — National Library 
— Museum — Imperial Academies of Fine Arts — Societies — Brazilian Historical and 
Geographical Institute — Administration of Brazilian Law — Curious Trial 251 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Climate of Brazil — Its Superiority to other Tropical Countries — Cool Resorts — 
Trip to St. Alexio — Brazilian Jupiter Pluvius — The Mulatto Improviser — Sydney 
Smith's " Immortal" Surpassed — A Lady's Impressions of Travel — An America: 
Factory — A Yankee House — The Ride up the Organ Mountains — Forests, Flowers, 
and Scenery — Speculation in Town-Lots — Boa Vista — Height of the Serra dos 
Orgoes — Constancia — The " Happy Valley" — The Two Swiss Bachelors — Youth 
renewed — Prosaic Conclusion — Todd's " Student's Manual" — The Tapir — The 
Toucan — The Fire-Flies — Expenses of Travelling — Nova Fribourgo — Canta G-allo 
— Petropolis 268 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Preparations for the Voyage to the Southern Provinces — The Passengers — Ubatuba 
— Eagerness to obtain Bibles — The Routine on Board — Aboriginal Names — San 
Sebastian and Midshipman Wilberforce — Santos — Brazilians at Dinner — Incorrect 
Judgment of Foreigners — S. Vincente — Order of Exercises — My Cigar — Paranagu& 
— H.B.M. "Cormorant" and the Slavers — Mutability of Maps — Russian Vessels in 
Limbo — The Prima Donna — An English Engineer — Arrive at San Francisco do Sul 303 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Province of Parana — Message of its First President — Mate, or Paraguay Tea — 
Its Culture and Preparation — Grows in North Carolina — San Francisco do Sul — 
Expectations not fulfilled — Canoe-Voyage — My Companions not wholly carnivo- 
rous — A Travelled Trunk — The Tolling-Bell Bird — Arrival at Joinville — A New 
Settlement — Circular on Emigration to Brazil 320 



10 Contents. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

PAGE 

Colonia Donna Francisca— The School-Teacher— The Clergyman— A Turk— Bible- 
Distribution— Suspected — A B C— The Fallen Forest — The House of the Director 
— A Runaway — The Village Cemetery — Moral Wants — Orchidaceous Plants- 
Charlatanism — San Francisco Jail — The Burial of the Innocent, and the money- 
making Padre — The Province of Sta. Catharina — Desterro — Beautiful Scenery — 
Shells and Butterflies— Coal-Mines— Province of Bio Grande do Sul — Herds and 
Herdsmen — The Lasso — Indians — Former Provincial Revolts — Present Tranquil- 
lity assured by the Overthrow of Rosas and of the Paraguayan Lopez Jr... 334 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Journey to San Paulo — Night-Travelling — Serra do Cubatao — The Heaven of the 
Moon — Frade Vasconcellos — Ant-Hills — Tropeiros — Curious Items of Trade — 
Ypiranga — City of San Paulo — Law-Students and Convents — Mr. Mawe's Expe- 
rience contrasted — Description of the City — Respect for S. Paulo — The Visionary 
Hotel-Keeper 354 

CHAPTER XX. 

History of San Paulo — Terrestrial Paradise — Reverses of the Jesuits — Enslavement 
of the Indians — Historical Data — The Academy of Laws — Course of Study — Dis- 
tinguished Men — The Andradas — Jose Bonifacio — Antonio Carlos — Alvares 
Machado — Vergueiro — Bishop Moura — A Visit to Feijo — Proposition to abolish 
Celibacy — An Interesting Book — The Death of Antonio Carlos de Andrada — High 
Eulogium — Missionary Efforts in San Paulo — Early and Present Condition of the 
Province — Hospitalities of a Padre — Encouragements — The People — Proposition 
to the Provincial Assembly — Response — Result — Addenda — Present Encourage- 
ments 366 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Agreeable Acquaintance — Old Congo's Spurs — Lodging and Sleeping — Company — 
Campinas — Illuminations — A Night among the Lowly — Arrival at Limeira — 
A Pennsylvanian — A Night with a Boa Constrictor — Eventful and Romantic Life 
of a Naturalist — The Bird-Colony destined to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural 
Sciences — Ybecaba — Sketch of the Vergueiros — Plan of Colonization — Bridge of 
Novel Construction — Future Prospects 396 

CHAPTER XXII. 

A New Disease — The Culture of Chinese Tea in Brazil — Modus Operandi — The 
Deceived Custom-House Officials — Probable Extension of Tea-Culture in South 
America — Homeward Bound — My Companion — Senhor Jose and a Little Diffi- 
culty with him — California and the Musical Innkeeper — Early Start and the Star- 
Spangled Banner — The Senhores Brotero of S. Paulo — Fourth of July inaugurated 
in an English Family — "Yankee Doodle" on the Plains of Ypiranga — Lame and 
Impotent Conclusion — Astronomy under Difficulties — Deliverance — Return to Rio 
de Janeiro 416 



Contents. 11 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

PAQB 

The Brazilian North — Extent of the Empire— The Falls of Itamarity — Gigantic Fig- 
Tree— The Keel-Bill — A Plantation in Minas-Geraes— Peter Parley in Brazil — 
Sweet Lemons — Baronial Style — The Padre — Vesper-Hours — The Plantation- 
Orchestra— The White Ants ohedient to the Church— The Great Ant-Eater— The 
Paca — The Musical Cart — The Mines and other Resources of Minas-Geraes — 
Coffee : its History and Culture — The Province of Goyaz — Stingless Bees and Sour 
Honey — Mato Grosso — Long River-Route to the Atlantic— A New Thoroughfare 
— Lieutenant Thomas J. Page — The Survey of the La Plata and its Affluents — 
First American Steamer at Corumba — Steamboat-Navigation on the Paraguay — 
Officers of the American Navy — Dr. Kane and Lieutenant Strain — Diamond and 
Gold Mines the Hinderers of Progress — The Difference in the Results from Dia- 
monds and Coffee 432 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Cape Frio — Wreck of the Frigate Thetis — Campos — Espirito Santo — Aborigines — 
Origin of Indian Civilization — The Palm-Tree and its Uses — The Tupi-Guarani — 
The Lingoa Geral — Ferocity of the Aymores — The City of Bahia — Porters — Cadeiras 
— History of Bahia — Caramuru — Attack on the Hollanders — Measures taken by 
Spain — The City retaken — The Dutch in Brazil — Slave-Trade — Sociability of 
Bahia — Mr. Gilmer, American Consul — The Humming-Bird — Whale-Fishery — 
American Cemetery — Henry Martyn — Visit to Montserrat — View of the City — The 
Emperor's Birthday — Medical School — Public Library — Image-Factory — The 
Wonderful Image of St. Anthony — No Miracle — St. Anthony a Colonel — Visit to 
Valenca — Daring Navigation — In Paris Naturalibus — The Factory and Colonel 
Carson — American Machinery — Skilful Negroes — Return Home — Commerce with 
the United States 464 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Departure from Bahia — The Vampire-Bat — His Manner of Attack — The Bitten 
Negro — Annoyances magnified — Anacondas — One that swallowed a Horse — The 
Marmoset — Province of Alagoaz — The Republic of Palmares — Pernambuco — The 
Amenities of Quarantine-Life — Improvements at the Recife — Peculiarities of Per- 
nambucan Houses — Beautiful Panorama — Various Districts of the City — A Bible- 
Christian — Extraordinary Fanaticism of the Sebastianists — Commerce of Pernam- 
buco — The Population of the Interior — The Sertanejo and Market-Scene — The 
Sugar and Cotton Mart — The Jangada — Parahiba do Norte — Natal — Ceara — The 
Padiola — Temperature and Periodical Rains — The City of Maranham — Judge 
Petit's Description — The Montana — Departure 503 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Magnificence of Nature in the Brazilian North — The City of Para — The Entrance of 
the Amazon — The first Protestant Sermon on these Waters — Parallel to the Black- 
Hole of Calcutta— Effects of Steam-Navigation — Improvements in Para" — The Canoa 
— Bathing and Market Scenes— Produce of Para" — India-Rubber — Para Shoes— The 
Amazon River— Mr. Wallace's Explorations— The Vaca Marina — Cetacea of the 
Amazon — Turtle-Egg Butter — Indian Archery — Brazilian Birds and Insects — Visit 
to Rice-Mills near Para — Journey through the Forest — The Paraense Bishop's Sus- 
picions of Dr. Kidder— State of Religion at Para 539 



12 Contents. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

PAGE 

Amazonas — Its Discovery — El Dorado — Goncalo Pizarro — His Expedition — Cruel- 
ties—Sufferings ■- Desertion of Orellana — His Descent of the River — Fable of the 
Amazons — Fate of the Adventurer — Name of the River — Settlement of the 
Country — Successive Expeditions up and down the Amazon — Sufferings of 
Madame God in — Present State — Victoria Regia— Steam-Navigation — Effects of 
Herndon and Gibbon's Report — Peruvian Steamers — The Future Prospects of the 
Amazon 563 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Discussion of Slavery — Effect of Emancipation Law — The Apprentice System — Dom 
Pedro in Europe — The Emperor in the United States — Brazil at the Centennial — 
United States Commerce with Brazil — Difficulties of American Commerce with 
Brazil — Trade-Mark Treaty 582 

Conclusion 598 

Notes 609 

Diplomatic and Consular Corps, and Orders of Nobility and Knighthood 610 



APPENDICES. 

Appendix A. — Chronological Summary of the Principal Events that have transpired 

in the History of Brazil 611 

AprENDix B. — Abstract of the Brazilian Constitution, sworn to on the 25th of March, 

1824, and revised in 1834 614 

Appendix C. — Population 616 

Appendix D. — Yellow Fever in Brazil 617 

Appendix E. — Tables of Brazilian Coins, Weights, and Measures 623 

Appendix F. — Imports, Exports, Revenue, &c, of Brazil 624 

Appendix G. — Religious Disabilities, Extracts from a Speech made by Dr. Furquim 

D'Almeida 629 

Afpendix H. — Recent Discoveries of Coal in Brazil 633 

Appendix I. — Thermometrical Observations at Rio de Janeiro in 1864. 638 

Appendix J. — Steam Routes to Brazil 640 



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CHAPTEE I. 

THE BAT OF RIO DE JANEIRO HISTORIC REMINISCENCES FIRST SIGHT OF THE 

TROPICS — ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR NIGHT-SCENES IMPRESSIONS OF BEAUTY 

AND GRANDEUR GARDNER AND STEWART THE CAPITAL OF BRAZIL DISTINC- 
TION OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 



The Bay of Naples, the Golden Horn of Constantinople, and the 

Bay of Eio de Janeiro, are always mentioned by the travelled 

tourist as pre-eminently worthy to be classed together for their 

extent, and for the beauty and sublimity of their scenery. The first 

two, however, must yield the palm to the last-named magnificent 

sheet of water, which, in a climate of perpetual summer, is enclosed 

within the ranges of singularly-picturesque mountains, and is 

dotted with the verdure-covered islands of the tropics. He who, 

13 



14 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in Switzerland, has gazed from the Quai of Vevay, or from the 
windows of the old Castle of Chillon, upon the grand panorama of 
the upper end of the Lake of Geneva, can have an idea of the 
general view of the Bay of Eio de Janeiro ; and there was much 
truth and beauty in the remark of the Swiss, who, looking for the 
first time on the native splendor of the Brazilian bay and its circlet 
of mountains, exclaimed, "C'est I'Melvetie Meridionale !" (It is the 
Southern Switzerland !) 

What a glorious spectacle must have presented itself to those 
early navigators — Be Solis, Majellan, and Martin Alfonso de Souza — 
who were the first Europeans that ever sailed through the narrow 
portal which constitutes the entrance to Nitherohy, (Hidden 
Water,) as these almost land-locked waters were appropriately and 
poetically termed by the Tamoyo Indians ! Though the moun- 
tain-sides and borders of the bay are still richly and luxuriantly 
clothed, then all the primeval forests existed, and gave a wilder 
and more striking beauty to a scene so enchanting in a natural 
point of view, even after three centuries of the encroachments of 
man. Be Souza — as the common tradition runs — supposed that 
he had entered the mouth of a mighty river, rivalling the Orinoco 
and the Amazon, and named it Bio de Janeiro, (River of January,) 
after the happy month — January, 1531 — in which he made his 
imagined discovery. Whatever may have been the origin of this 
misnomer, it is not only applied to the large and commodious bay, 
but to the province in which it is situated, and to the populous metro- 
polis of Brazil, which sits like a queen upon its bright shores. 

We all of us know, either by our own experience or by that 
of others, what is the sight of land to the tempest-tossed voyager. 
When the broad blue circle of sea and sky, which for days and 
weeks has encompassed his vision, is at length broken by a shore, 
— even though that shore be bleak and desolate as the ice-moun- 
tains of the Arctic regions,— it is invested with a surpassing 
interest, it is robed in undreamed-of charms. What, then, must 
be the emotions of one who, coming from a latitude of stormy 
winter, beholds around him a land of perpetual summer, with its 
towering and crested palms, and its giant vegetation arrayed in 
fadeless green ! 

In Becember, 1851, when the Hudson and the Potomac were 



Entrance to the Harbor. 15 

bridged by the ice-king, and clouds and snow draped the sky and 
the land, our good vessel stood out upon a stormy sea. A few 
weeks of gales and rolling waves, varied by light winds and calms, 
brought us to Cape Frio. This isolated peak shoots up as steeply 
as the chalk-cliffs of England, as high as the Eock of Gibraltar, 
and is covered to its very summit with verdure. No clouds — as I 
last beheld them in conjunction with terra firma — were frown- 
ing over this summer-land. The balmiest breezes were blowing, 
and the palms upon the adjacent hills were gracefully waving 
above the world of vegetation — so new to me — which gleamed in 
the warm sunlight. It was in the midst of such a scene that the 
day, not without evening-glories, faded away. The morning sun 
shone clearly, and the lofty mountain-range near the entrance to the 
harbor stood forth in an outline at once bold, abrupt, and beautiful. 
The first entrance of any one to the Bay of Eio de Janeiro forms 

an era in his existence : — 

"an hour 
Whence he may date thenceforward and forever." 

Even the dullest observer must afterward cherish sublimer views 
of the manifold beauty and majesty of the works of the Creator. 
I have seen the most rude and ignorant Eussian sailor, the im- 
moral and unreflecting Australian adventurer, as well as the culti- 
vated and refined European gentleman, stand silent upon the deck, 
mutually admiring the gigantic avenue of mountains and palm- 
covered isles, which, like the granite pillars before the Temple 
of Luxor, form a fitting colonnade to the portal of the finest bay 
in the world. 

On either side of that contracted entrance, as far as the eye can 
reach, stretch away the mountains, whose pointed and fantastic 
shapes recall the glories of Alpland. On our left, the Sugar-Loaf 
stands like a giant sentinel to the metropolis of Brazil. The round 
and green summits of the Tres Irmaos (Three Brothers) are in 
strong contrast with the peaks of Corcovado and Tijuca ; while 
the G-avia rears its huge sail-like form, and half hides the fading 
line of mountains which extends to the very borders of Eio Grande 
do Sul. On the right, another lofty range commences near the 
principal fortress which commands the entrance of the bay, and, 
forming curtain-like ramparts, reaches away, in picturesque head- 



16 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

lands, to the bold promontory well known to all South Atlantic 
navigators as Cape Frio. Far through the opening of the bay, and 
in some places towering even above the lofty coast-barrier, can be 
discovered the blue outline of the distant Organ Mountains, whose 
lofty pinnacles will at once suggest the origin of their name. 

The general effect is truly sublime; but as the vessel draws 
nearer to the bold shore, and we see, on the sides of the double 
mount which rises in the rear of Santa Cruz, the peculiar bright- 
leaved woods of Brazil, with here and there the purple-blooming 
quaresma-tree, — and when we observe that the snake-like cacti and 
rich-flowering parasites shoot forth and hang down even from the 
jagged and precipitous sides of the Sugar-Loaf, — and as we single 
out in every nook and crevice new evidences of a genial and pro- 
lific clime,— emotion, before overwhelmed by vastness of outline, 
now unburdens itself in every conceivable exclamation of surprise 
and admiration. 

The breeze is wafting us onward, and we pass beneath the white 
walls of the Santa Cruz fortress. A black soldier, dressed in a 
light uniform of enviable coolness, leans lazily over a parapet, 
while higher up on the ramparts a sentinel marches with leisurely 
tread near the glass cupola which, illuminated at night, serves as a 
guide to the entering mariner. Immediately an enormous trumpet 
is protruded from this cupola, and our good ship is saluted by a 
stentorian voice, demanding, in Portuguese-English, the usual 
questions put to vessels sailing into a foreign port. We soon glide 
from under the frowning guns of Santa Cruz, and are just abreast 
Fort Lage, celebrated as the first spot of the bay ever inhabited by 
civilized man. The scene which now opens before us is exquisitely 
beautiful. Far to our left, beneath the Sugar-Loaf, but nearer to 
the city, is the fortress of St. John, bright amid the surrounding 
verdure. Passing through a fleet of gracefully shaped canoes and 
market-boats, manned by half-clad blacks, we cling to the steep 
right-hand coast, which soon precipitously terminates, and reveals 
to us the lovely little Bay of Jurujuba, — the " five-fathom" bay of 
the English. Again looking to the opposite side, beyond St. John, 
we have a glimpse of the graceful Cove of Botafoga (the Bay of 
Naples in miniature) and the pretty suburb of the same name, 
which seems like a jewel set between the smooth white beach and 




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Tropic Night-scenes. 17 

the broad circle of living green. Here too we have another of the 
many views of the Corcovado and the Gavia, which, as we varj- 
our position, are ever changing and ever beautiful. 

Now the vast city looms up before us, extending, with its white 
suburbs, for miles along the irregular shores of the bay, and run- 
ning far back almost to the foot of the Tijuca Mountains, diversified 
by green hills which seem to spring up from the most populous- 
neighborhoods. These combined circumstances prevent a perfect 
view of Eio de Janeiro from the waters. While gazing upon the 
domes and steeples, on the white edifices of the city, and the bright 
verdure-clad Gloria, Santa Theresa, and Castello Hills, we are cut 
short in our admiration by the cry of a Brazilian official : — " Let go 
your anchor." The command is obeyed, and we are comfortably 
lying to under the formidable-looking guns of the Forteleza Yille- 
gagnon. Our vessel swings round and reveals to us on the opposite 
shore the city of Praia Grande, the parti-colored cliff of St. Do- 
mingo, and upon a mere rock, which seems a fragment of the ad- 
joining shore, the little church of Nossa Senhora de Boa Yiagem, 
in which Eoman Catholic voyagers are supposed to pay their vows, 
and around which many graceful palm-trees are nodding in the 
cool ocean-breeze. While awaiting the visit of the custom-house 
officers we remain upon deck, and tire not of scenes so novel and 
exciting. Little steamers and graceful falluas* are passing and re- 
passing from Praia Grande and St. Domingo. White sails are dot- 
ting the bay as far as the eye can reach, while all around us the 
serried masts of Brazilian and foreign vessels are evidences that we 
are in the midst of a vast and busy mart. 

The night soon succeeds the short twilight of the tropics, and the 
city from our ship seems like a land of fairy enchantment. Bril- 
liancy and novelty, do not end with the day. Innumerable gas- 
lights line the immense borders of the city down to the very edge 
of the bay, and are reflected back from the water in a thousand 
quivering flashes. The very forms of the hills themselves are de- 
fined amid the darkness by rows of lamps extending over their 
verdure-clad summits, and seem like the fabled star-bridges of an 
Arabian tale. The steam ferry-boats bear various-colored lights, 



* See engraving on page 60. 
2 



18 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and each vessel in the harbor has a lamp at its fore; while every 
turn of the wheel furrows through a diamond sea, and every dash 
of the oar and every ripple from the gentle evening breeze reveals 
a thousand brilliant phosphorescent animalculse illuminating the 
otherwise darkened waters. When we look above us we behold new 
constellations spangling the heavens, and their queen is the Southern 
Cross, guarded by her silent and mysterious attendants, the Majel- 
lan Clouds. The Great Bear has long since been hidden from us; 
but just peeping over the natural ramparts of the Organ Mountains, 
we see an old and a welcome friend in that beaming Orion, who here 
loses none of his northern splendor, and does not even pale before 
his rival of the Southern Hemisphere. Amid such scenes who 
could close their eyelids in sleep ? Dr. Kidder on one occasion, re- 
turning from the northern provinces, entered the harbor at night- 
fall during a squall, and thus describes the scene : — 

" We passed close under the walls of Fort Santa Cruz ; but, just 
as the vessel was in the most critical part of the passage, the wind 
lulled, and the current of the ebbing tide swept her back, and by 
degrees carried her over toward the rocks upon which Fort Lage 
is constructed. The moment was one of great excitement and 
danger. Our situation was perceived at the forts, which severally 
fired guns, and burned white and blue lights, in order to show us 
their position. 

"A more sublime scene can hardly be imagined. The rolling 
thunders of the cannon were echoed back by the surrounding 
mountain-peaks, and the brilliant glare of the artificial flames ap- 
peared the more intense in the midst of unusual darkness. Happily 
for the vessel and all on board, the wind freshened in time, and we 
were borne gallantly up to the man-of-war anchorage, where, at 
nine o'clock, we were lying moored to not less than seventy fathoms 
of chain. 

" The moon had not yet risen, and the evening remained very 
dark. This circumstance heightened the beauty of the city and 
the effect of her thousand lamps, which were seen brightly burn- 
ing at measured intervals over the hills and praias of her far- 
stretching suburbs. One young man was so enchanted with the 
novelty and splendor of the scene, that he remained on deck all 
night to gaze upon it, notwithstanding rain fell at intervals/' 



Beauty and Grandeur. 19 

More than one have had to confess that their first twenty-four 
hours before Eio have been spent in a perpendicular position with 
the eyes wide open, and could exclaim, with emphasis, — 

" Most glorious night ! 
Thou wert not sent for slumber." 

Every thing is so fresh, so novel and awakening, that we are like 
children on the eve of some great festival or the night before the 
first journey to some vast city with whose wonders the story-book 
and the improvisations of the nursery have filled the imagination 
to the full. 

I have again and again entered and quitted the Bay of Bio de 
Janeiro when the billows were surging and when the calm mantled 
the deep ; and, whether in the purple light of a tropic morning^ 
in the garish noon, or in the too brief twilight of that Southern 
clime, it has always presented to me new glories and new charms. 
It has been my privilege to look upon some of the most celebrated 
scenes of both hemispheres; but I have never found one which 
combined so much to be admired as the panorama which we have 
attempted to describe. On the Height of St. Elmo I have drank in 
as much of beauty from that curvilinear bay of Southern Italy, 
upon whose bosom float the isles of Capri and Ischia, and upon 
whose margin nestle the gracefully-shaped Yesuvius, the long arm 
of Sorrento, and the proverbially-brilliant city of Naples. I have 
seen very great variety in the blue, isle-dotted Bay of Panama; 
and I have beheld in the Alps, and in the western entrance to the 
Straits of Majellan, where the black, jagged Andes are rent asunder, 
scenes of wildness and sublimity without parallel; but, all things 
considered, I have yet to gaze upon a scene which surpasses, in 
combined beauty, variety, and grandeur, the mountain-engirdled 
Mtherohy. 

The above impressions were penned before I had read, with a 
single exception, one of the many detailed descriptions of the Bay 
of Bio de Janeiro ; and it occurred to me that those who had never 
seen the natural beauties of this region would not give ready 
assent to its exaltation above so many other places famous for 
their scenery. Such might say, "He is an enthusiast, an exagge- 
rator." I have since perused many books, journals, and letters 



20 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

on Brazil; and all — from the ponderous tomes of Spix and Von 
Martius, down to the ephemeral lines of a contributor to the news- 
papers —are of one accord in regard to this wonderful bay. Though 
the works may be devoted to history, science, commerce, or to the 
epistolary correspondence of friends, in this respect they all bear a 
resemblance ; for all draw the same portrait and from the same 
original. Indeed, when reading the description given by the late 
lamented English botanist, Gardner, I half suspected myself a 
plagiarist, though I had never read his interesting and truly 
valuable travels until my own account was written. 

Describing the entrance of the harbor, this naturalist says, — 
"Passing through the magnificent portal of the bay, we came to 
an anchor a few miles below the city, not being allowed to proceed 
farther until visited by the authorities. It is quite impossible to 
express the feelings which arise in the mind while the eye surveys 
the beautifully-varied scenery which is disclosed on entering the 
harbor, — scenery which is perhaps unequalled on the face of the 
earth, and on the production of which nature seems to have 
exerted all her energies. Since then I have visited many places 
celebrated for their beauty and their grandeur, but none of them 
have left a like impression on my mind. As far up the bay as the 
eye could reach, lovely little verdant and palm-clad islands were to 
be seen rising out of its dark bosom; while the hills and lofty 
mountains which surround it on all sides, gilded by the rays of the 
setting sun, formed a befitting frame for such a picture. At night 
the lights of the city had a fine effect ; and when the land-breeze 
began to blow, the rich odor of the orange and other perfumed 
flowers was borne seaward along with it, and, by me at least, 
enjoyed the more from having been so long shut out from the 
companionship of flowers. Ceylon has been celebrated by voyagers 
for its spicy odors ; but I have twice made its shores, with a land- 
breeze blowing, without experiencing any thing half so sweet as 
those which greeted my arrival at Rio." 

The description given by the Rev. C. S. Stewart is valuable in 
showing the impressions of this magnificent bay upon one who 
had, since his first visit to Brazil, viewed some of the most re- 
nowned scenes in the world : — 

"I was anxious to test the fidelity of the impressions received 



The Capital of Brazil. 21 

twenty years ago from the same scenery, and to determine how 
far the magnificent picture still lingering in my memory was 
justified by the reality, or how far it was to be attributed to the 
enthusiasm of younger years and the freshness of less experienced 
travel. The early light of the morning quickly determined the 
point. I was hurried to the deck by a message from Lieutenant 
K , already there, and do not recollect ever to have been im- 
pressed with higher admiration by any picture in still life than by 
the group of mountains and the coast-scene meeting my eyes on 
the left. The wildness and sublimity of outline of the Pao de 
Assucar, Dous Irmaos, Gavia, and Corcovado, and their fantastic 
combinations, from the point at which we viewed them, can scarce 
be rivalled; while the richness and beauty of coloring thrown 
over and around the whole, in purple and gold, rose-color, and 
ethereal blue, were all that the varied and glowing tints of the 
rising day ever impart. No fancy-sketch of fairy-land could sur- 
pass this scene, and we stood gazing upon it as if fascinated by the 
work of a master-hand." 

The city of Eio de Janeiro, or San Sebastian, is at once the 
commercial emporium and the political capital of the nation. 
While Brazil embraces a greater territorial dominion than any 
other country of the New World, together with natural advan- 
tages second to none on the globe, the position, the scenery, 
and the increasing magnitude of its capital render it a metro- 
polis worthy of the empire. Rio de Janeiro is the largest city 
of South America, the third in size on the Western Continent, 
and boasts an antiquity greater than that of any city in the 
United States. 

Its harbor is .situated just within the borders of the Southern 
Torrid Zone, and communicates, as before described, with the if 
wide-rolling Atlantic, by a deep and narrow passage between two 
granite mountains. This entrance is so safe as to render the ser- 
vices of a pilot entirely unnecessary. So commanding, however, 
is the position of the various fortresses at the mouth of the harbor 
upon its islands and on the surrounding heights, that, if efficiently 
manned by a body of determined men, they might defy the hostile 
ingress of the proudest navies in the world. 

Once within this magnificent bay of Nitherohy, the wanderer 



22 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of the seas may safely moor his bark within hearing of the roar of 
the ocean-surf. 

The aspect which Eio de Janeiro presents to the beholder bears 
no resemblance to the compact brick walls, the dingy roofs, the 
tall chimneys, and the generally-even sites of our Northern cities. 
Its surface is diversified by hills of irregular but picturesque shape, 
which shoot up in different directions, leaving between them flat 
intervals of greater or less extent. Along the bases of these hills, 
and up their sides, stand rows of buildings, whose whitened walls 
and red-tiled roofs are in happy contrast with the deep-green 
foliage that always surrounds and often embowers them. 

The most prominent eminence, almost in front of us, is the Morro 
do Castello, which overlooks the mouth of the harbor, and on 
which is the tall signal-staff that announces, in connection with the 
telegraph on Babylonia Hill, the nation, class, and position of every 
vessel that appears in the offing. Upon our right we see the 
convent-crowned hill of San Bento; and if we could have a bird's- 
eye view from a point midway between the turrets of the convent 
and the signal-staff of Morro do Castello, we should see the city 
spread beneath us, with its streets, steeples, and towers, its public 
edifices, parks, and vermillion chimneyless roofs, and its aqueducts 
spanning the spaces between the seven green hills, constituting a 
gigantic mosaic, bordered upon one side by the mountains, and on 
the other by the blue waters of the bay. 

From the central portion of the city the suburbs extend about 
four miles in each of the three principal directions, so that the 
municipality of Bio de Janeiro, containing five hundred thousand 
inhabitants, covers a greater extent of ground than any European 
city of th*e same population. 

Here dwell a large part of the nobility of the nation, and, for a 
considerable portion of the year, the representatives of the different 
provinces, the ministers of state, the foreign ambassadors and 
consuls, and a commingled populace of native Brazilians and of 
foreigners from almost every clime. That which in the popular 
estimation, however, confers the greatest distinction upon Bio, is 
not the busy throng of foreign and home merchants, sea-captains, 
ordinary Government-officials, and the upper classes of society; but 
it is in the fact that here resides the imperial head of Brazil, the 



Distinction of Rio de Janeiro. 23 

young and gifted Dom. Pedro II., who unites the blood of the Bra- 
ganzas and the Hapsburgs, and under whose constitutional rule 
civil liberty, religious toleration, and general prosperity are better 
secured than in any other Government of the New World, save 
where the Anglo-Saxon bears sway. 

Attractive as may be the natural scenery and the beauties of art 
abounding in any country, it must be confessed that human exist- 
ence, with its weal or woe, involves a far deeper interest. And the 
traveller but poorly accomplishes his task of delineating the pre- 
sent, if he leaves unattempted some sketches of the history of the 
past as an introduction to the scenes and events which have come 
under his own observation. After glancing rapidly at some of the 
most striking sights and customs of Eio de Janeiro, I shall intro- 
duce a brief sketch of its past history. 




HOTEL PHAROUX. 



CHAPTEE II. 

LANDING HOTEL PHAROUX — NOVEL SIGHTS AND SOUNDS — THE PALACE SQUARE — 

KUA DIREITA — EXCHANGE — THE " TEAM " — MUSICAL COFFEE-CARRIERS — CUSTOM- 
HOUSE — LESSONS IN PORTUGUESE, AND GOVERNOR KENT'S OPINION OF BRAZIL — 

POST-OFFICE — -DISLIKE OF CHANGE SENHOR JOSE* MAXWELL RUA DO OUVIDOR 

SHOPS AND FEATHER-FLOWERS THE BRAZILIAN OMNIBUS CAN BE FULL 

NARROW STREETS AND POLICE-REGULATIONS A SUGGESTION TO RELIEVE 

BROADWAY, NEW YORK — PASSEIO PUBLICO — BRAZILIAN POLITENESS THE " GON- 
DOLA" — THE BRAZILIAN IMPERTURBABLE — LACK OF HOTELS — FIRST NIGHT IN 
RIO DE JANEIRO. 



The stranger who, with anxious expectation, has paced the deck 
of his vessel as it lies at anchor under Yillegagnon, knows no more 
welcome sound than the permission from the Custom-House and 
health officers to land and roam through the city which for hours 
before his eyes have visited. The blacks who have come from the 
shore now return, pulling their heavy boat lustily along, for they 
are sure of a treble price from the newly-arrived. Who that has 
visited Eio de Janeiro will not at a glance recognise the landing- 
place depicted in the engraving? Hotel Pharoux, the Palace Stairs, 
and the Largo do Pa§o, (Palace Square,) are associated with Eio de 

Janeiro in the mind of every foreign naval officer who has been on 
24 



Novel Sights and Sounds. 25 

the Brazil station. But changes have taken place, and greater are 
in contemplation, among this slow-moving people. Hotel Pharoux 
still lifts its gray walls ; but it is modernized, and the old restau- 
rant and stable in the basement have given way to shell-merchants 
and feather-flower dealers, and the upper stories form a private hos- 
pital. We no longer land at the Palace Stairs, where formerly at 
flood-tide the waters of the ba} T dashed and foamed against the 
stone parapet which at this point marked their limit. The square 
has been extended into the waves, and soon the Government will 
have fine quays along the whole water-edge in this part of the 
city, stretching from the Marine to the War Arsenal. 

Instead of the old Pharoux steps, we ascend the stairs to the west 
of the Praia Grande ferry-boats. In former years, we landed amid 
odors that certainly had not been wafted from " Araby the blest/' 
We learned that sewerage in Rio was a portable instead of an under- 
ground affair. The sense of hearing, too, was wounded by the con- 
fused jabbering of blacks in the language of Congo, the shouts of 
Portuguese boat-owners, and by the oaths of American and English 
sailors. Once clear of this throng, what novel sights and sounds 
astonished us ! A hackney coachman, in glazed hat and red vest, 
invited us to a ride to the Botanical Gardens ; a smart-looking mulatto 
pointed us to his carriage near the Hotel de France. Before their 
words died away, the roll of drums and the blasts of bugles called our 
attention to another direction. There, in front of the old palace, was 
drawn up a squad of the National Guard, composed of every imagi- 
nable complexion from white to African. Then, as now, at every 
mid-day, they removed their shakos, listened for a moment with 
religious veneration to the strain of music which the black trumpeters 
puffed from swelling cheeks, and then resumed, with the exception of 
the sentinels, their difficult task of loitering in the corridors of the 
huge building, or of basking in the sunshine, until another sound of 
bugle should call them to change guard or fall into ranks at vespers. 
Such was the landing in days gone by. 

We are not yet read} 7 to try any of the vehicles of Rio, so we dis- 
miss all applicants, and stroll leisurely along in order to look around 
us in the Largo do Paco. 

At the Palace Square, the stranger finds himself surrounded by a 
throng as diverse in habits and appearance, and as variegated in 



26 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



complexion and costume, as his fancy ever pictured. The majority 
of the crowd are Africans, who collect around the fountain to 
obtain water, which flows from a score of pipes, and, when caught 
in tubs or barrels, is borne off upon the heads of both males and 
females. 

The slaves go barefooted, but some of them are gayly dressed. 
Their sociability when coogregated in these resorts is usually 
extreme, but sometimes it ends in differences and blows. To pre- 
vent disorders of this kind, soldiers are generally stationed near 
the fountains, who are pretty sure to maintain their authority 
over the unresisting blacks. Formerly there were only a few 
principal fountains; now there are large chaf arizes in all the 







THE LARGO DO PACO, AND RUA PRIMEIRO DE MARCO. OR DIREITA. 

squares, and at the corners of every third or fourth street are 
smaller streams of the pure element, which flow at the turning of 
a stopcock. 

The Palace is a large stone building, exhibiting the old Portuguese 



The Palace Square. 27 

style of architecture. It was long used as a residence by the vice- 
roys, and for a time by Dom John VI., but is now appropriated to 
various public offices, and contains a suite of rooms in which court 
is held on gala-days. The buildings at the rear of the Palace 
Square (represented on the left of the engraving) were all erected 
for ecclesiastical purposes. The oldest was a Franciscan convent. 
but has long since been connected with the Palace, and used for 
secular purposes. The old chapel, with its short, thick tower, 
remains, but has been superseded, in popularity as well as in 
splendor, by the more recently-erected imperial chapel, which, 
without belfry, stands at its right. Adjoining the imperial chapel 
is that of the third order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which is 
daily open, and is used as a cathedral. The steeples of this church 
during certain festivals are illuminated to the very crosses, and 
present a splendid appearance from the shipping. 

The streets of the city are generally quite narrow ; but the Rua 
Direita, or, as it is now less poetically called, Primo de Marco^ is 
wide, and well paved with small square blocks of stone which are 
cut from the neighboring hills. The Rua Direita and mam* of 
the principal streets of Rio de Janeiro are now as well paved as 
the finest thoroughfares of London or Vienna, presenting a great 
contrast to the former irregular and miserable pavement, which was 
in use up to 1854. The Rua Direita and the Largo do Rocio were 
the points whence omnibuses started for eveiy portion of the suburbs, 
but tramways have almost superseded omnibuses. 

The houses seldom exceed three or four stories ; but a four-story 
house at Rio is equal in height to one of five in New York. For- 
merly nearly all were occupied as dwellings, and even in the streets 
devoted to business the first floors only were appropriated to the 
storage and display of goods, while families resided above. Rut 
since 1850 this has greatly changed in the quarter where the 
wholesale houses are found : proprietors and clerks now reside in 
the picturesque suburbs of Botafogo, Engenho Velho, and across 
the h&y at Praia Grande or San Domingo. Every evening presents 
an animated spectacle of crowded steamers, full tramways, and 
galloping horses and mules, all convening the negociantes and 
caixeiros (book-keepers) to their respective residences. 

The distant steeples on our left are those of the Church of 



28 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Candelaria, which is situated on a narrow street back from the 
Rua Direita. It is the largest church in the city, and presents 
taller spires and a handsomer front than any other. 

The old Praga do Commergio, or Exchange, once occupied a posi- 
tion in the Rua Direita. This building, formerly a part of the Cus- 
tom-House, was ceded by Government for commercial purposes in 
1834. But the old building has been taken down, and a most splendid 
Exchange has been erected in its stead. The new edifice has a very 
imposing appearance, and within its spacious precincts the merchants 
of eight or nine different nations meet each other in the morning to 
interchange salutations and to negotiate their general business. The 
Exchange is not far from the Custom-House, which formerly had its 
main entrance adjoining the Praea. 




THE RIO TEAM (NOW ABOLISHED). 



Nothing can be more animated and peculiar than the scenes 
which are witnessed in this part of the R. de Janeiro during the 
business-hours of the day, — viz. : from nine a.m. to three p.m. It is 
in these hours only that vessels are permitted to discharge and receive 
their cargoes, and at the same time all goods and baggage must be 
despatched at the Custom-House and removed therefrom. Conse- 
quent upon such arrangements, the utmost activity is required to 
remove the goods despatched, and to embark those productions of 
the country that are daily required in the transactions of a vast 
commercial emporium. In former days the scene was much more 



The Musical Coffee-Carriers. 



29 



noisy, animating and confusing, for there came the negro dray. 
The team consisted of five stalwart Africans pushing, pulling, steer- 
ing, and shouting as the} r made their way amid the serried throng, 
unmindful of the Madeira Islander, who, with an imprecation and 
a crack of his whip, urged on a thundering mule-cart laden with 
boxes. To-day carriages thunder through the crowd, and a large 
four-wheeled wagon, belonging to some Express for the trans- 
portation of "goods," rolls in its wake. Formerly all this labor 
was performed by human hands, and scarcely a cart or a dray was 
used in the city, unless, indeed, it was drawn by negroes. Carts 
and wagons propelled by horse-power are now quite common ; but 
for the moving of light burdens and for the transportation of furni- 
ture, pianos, &c. the negro's head has not been superseded by any 
vehicle until 1862, when spring-carts and large wagons called 
andorinhas, came in vogue, except for pianos. 




THE FORMER COFFEE-CARRIERS OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 



In 1860, while we were almost stunned by the sounds of the mul- 
titude, we had a new source of wonderment. Above all the confu- 
sion of the Rua Direita, we heard a stentorian chorus of voices re- 
sponding in quick measure to the burden of a song. We beheld, 
over the heads of the throng, a line of white sacks rushing around 
the corner of the Rua da Alfandega, {Custom- House Street.) We 
hastened to that portion of Rua Direita, and saw that these sacks 
had each a living ebony Hercules beneath. These were the far- 



30 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

famed coffee-carriers of Eio. They usually went in troops, number- 
ing ten or twenty individuals, of whom one took the lead and was 
called the captain. These were generally the largest and strongest 
men that could be found. While at work they seldom wore any 
other garment than a pair of short pantaloons; their shirt was 
thrown aside for the time as an encumbrance. Each one took a 
bag of coffee upon his head, weighing one hundred and sixty 
pounds, and, when all were ready, they started off upon a measured 
trot, which soon increased to a rapid run. Since 1860 carts are 
used for coffee. 

The negro porters of pianos and crockery frequently carry m 
their hands musical instruments, resembling children's rattle- 
boxes: these they shake to the double-quick time of some wild 
Ethiopian ditty, which they all join in singing as they run. 
Music has a powerful effect in exhilarating the spirits of the 
negro; and certainly no one should deny him the privilege of 
softening his hard lot by producing the harmony of sounds which 
are sweet to him, though uncouth to other ears. It is said, how- 
ever, that an attempt was at one time made to secure greater 
quietness in the streets by forbidding them to sing. As a conse- 
quence, they performed little or no work; so the restriction was 
in a short time taken off. Certain it is that they now avail them- 
selves of their vocal privileges at pleasure, whether in singing and 
shouting to each other as they run, or in proclaiming to the people 
the various articles they carry about for sale. The impression 
made upon the stranger by the mingled sound of their hundred 
voices falling upon his ear at once is not soon forgotten. 

We now turn from the busy throng of the Eua Direita, and in a 
few minutes we ascend the steps of a stately building, over whose 
portico we read, in huge green letters, — ALFANDEGA. 
We will not stop to trace the origin of this word and many others 
in the Portuguese tongue beginning with Al, to their Moorish origin, 
but will immediately inform the reader that it is the first word he 
learns in Brazil, and one which, in various languages, most tra- 
vellers in foreign countries have occasion to remember. This is 
the Custom-IIouse. We enter a vast hall of fine architecture, 
lighted by a graceful dome. There are hundreds of despatchers, 
merchants, and officers. But what a contrast to the noisy multi- 



The Custom-House. 31 

tude of the Kim Direita ! All are uncovered, and, as each enters 
the hall, the hat is removed and not replaced until the portico is 
again reached. What a capital discipline for Anglo- American 
visitors and for English and North American shipmasters, whose 
head-coverings seem to be a portion of their corporeal existence ! 
I once heard Albert Smith, in one of his delightful conversaziones, 
say that in foreign lands an Englishman considers it a part of the 
British constitution not to take off his hat except when " God save 
the Queen" ma} 7 accidentally fall upon his ear. The Brazilian is 
very strict in the outward observance of politeness ; and, as he 
would never enter a private residence without removing his hat, 
so he considers that he should not enter any of the edifices belong- 
ing to the Government of his Emperor without showing the same 
respect. 

At the end of the hall, on an elevated platform, is the chief- 
collector, who is constantly engaged in signing despatches and 
various other custom-house papers, which are noiselessly handed 
him by sub-officers and clerks. The inspector-in-chief who presides 
over the Alfandega of Rio has a most responsible situation. The 
receipts at Rio equal those of all the other ports of Brazil. Hence 
the necessity of a chief of great executive ability and probity. In 
March, 1878, this post was offered to Dr. Furquim de Almeida, who 
has every qualification of a man of experience and honesty, and is a 
true advocate for the reform of the tariff, which is as cumbersome as 
that of America. It is to be regretted that he declined. 

Thirty years ago there were great abuses. The customs were 
most corruptly administered : bribery was the rule and not the ex- 
ception. To this day some most wonderful stories are told of the 
year 1844, when the treaty between England and Brazil expired, by 
limitation, in the month of November. Bales, bags, and boxes 
went through the Custom-House with astonishing rapidity ; and there 
is a tradition that the entire cargo of a schooner entered the rear of 
the Alfandega, and in a remarkably short time emerged from the 
Portao Grande, (Great Door.) But there is no longer opportunity 
for such abuses ; and the largest custom-house of the empire is as 
well conducted as those of Germany or France. 

Next in importance to the chief collector is the guar da ?nor, sur- 



32 Brazil and the Brazilians, 

reyor of the port, the venerable Si-. Leopoldo Augusto da Camara 
Lima, who is known to every ship-captain as Senhor Leopoldo, 
Thii gentleman, who speaks the English language most fluently, 
has been arrayed on the liberal side of Brazilian polities for more; 
than forty years, and was In the front rank of those who condemn 
the African slave-trade, which was so completely abolished in 1850. 

The new iron warehouses of the Alfandega, the docks and quays 
for discharging cargoes — unaffected by tides and currents — all form 
the past and magnificent works accomplished under the engineering of 
Mr. Charles Neat of England. A very Interesting illustrated quarto 
pamphlet, on the constructions of the Alfandega, was, in 1877, pub- 
lished in Bio, by Dr. Borja Castro. 

Once from the vessels the goods are distributed and stored in their 
respective departments, until a requisition is formally made for their 
examination and despatch. The removal of the various articles 
within the Custom-House, as well as their transportation to the great 
door of exit, is facilitated by means of small iron railways extending 
to every portion of the many buildings. 

That troublesome delays should occasionally occur in the despatch 
of goods and baggage is not surprising to anyone acquainted with 
the tedious formalities required by the laws; nor would it be 
strange, if, among the host of empregados or sub-officers connected 
with this establishment upon very limited pay, some are occasionally 
found who will embarrass your business at every step until their 
favor is conciliated by a direct or indirect appropriation of money 

to (heir benefit J but this is more rare than formerly. 

Most of the large commercial houses have a despatching-clerk, 
whose especial business it is to attend upon the Alfandega; and 

the stranger who is unaccustomed to the language; and customs of 

the country will always avoid much inconvenience by obtaining 
the services of* one of these persons. From my own experience in 
passing books and baggage through the different custom-houses 
of Brazil, I am prepared to say that a person who understands and 
endeavors to conform to the laws of the country may expect in 
similar circumstances to meet with kind treatment and all reason- 
able accommodations. If, however, a glance at your watch tells 
you, in the midst of your labors and difficulties, that three o'clock 



Lessons in Portuguese. 33 

is near at hand, and you undertake to urge the sub-collector to ex- 
pedite matters, you are sure to receive in reply, u Paciencia, senhor." 
This is our second lesson in Portuguese ; and the third soon follows 
in response to our demand, "When can these things be de- 
spatched?" "Amanha" (to-morrow,) is promptly given. But should 
you succeed in getting through the portao grande about the time 
that huge door is being closed up for the day, you will witness a 
lively scene. Boxes, bales, and packages of every species of goods, 
cases of furniture, pipes of wine, and coils of rope, lie heaped 
together in a confusion only equalled by the crowd of clerks, 
feitors, and negroes, who block up the adjacent streets in their 
rush to obtain possession of their several portions, and in their 
vociferations to hasten the removal of their merchandise. 

We are perhaps wishing to expedite the tall Mina blacks whom 
we have engaged to transport our luggage to its place of desti- 
nation. By signs manual our meaning is comprehended, but we 
receive a very cool "PJspera um pouco, senhor," (Wait a little, sir,) 
which completes our studies in Portuguese for the day. And what 
a lesson we have received ! 

Paciencia , amanha, and espera um pouco! These words in action 
stare the nervous, impatient, tearing, fretting Anglo-American, 
everywhere throughout Brazil. The late Ex-Governor Kent, 
whose name is associated with the Northeastern boundary and 
with the politics of New England, was for four years a resident of 
Bio de Janeiro as U.S. Consul, and for a portion of the time as 
acting Charge d' Affaires. It was his deliberate opinion that Brazil 
-was the best place in existence to cool a fervid, speech-making, 
community-exciting Yankee. I have laughed heartily at his dry 
humorous manner, as he has unfolded con amore this subject:— 

"There is to a quietly-disposed, mild man, past the meridian of 
life, who has seen many of the rough sides of humanity, something 
agreeable and pleasant in the tranquil, calm, noiseless habits of the 
Brazilians. To live a whole year and never attend a caucus or an 
indignation-meeting, to hear nothing about elections, to see no 
gatherings of the people, to read no placards calling upon the sove- 
reigns to rise and vindicate their rights, to listen to no stump- 
speeches or dinner-orations, never once to be importuned to walk or 
ride in a political procession, to see not one torchlight-pageant in 



34 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

honor of a victory which has saved the country and the offices, — in 
short, to live without politics,— is, to one who is inclined to quiet, 
or who has been wearied out in the service, soothing and delightful." 

Though the nation, by steamships and railroads and general 
prosperity, is daily becoming more active, yet it may be still pre- 
dicated that the Brazilian is not accustomed to be startled and 
shocked by other people's miseries and woes. With a free and 
well-supported press, his nature demands no thrilling evening 
editions, filled with long and minute accounts of the last steamboat 
disaster, fearful accidents, or horrible murders. As a general thing, 
he thinks the moral, physical, and political worlds will turn on 
their own axes without his interference. Hence it was, doubtless, 
that some of the far-seeing and really wide-awake statesmen of 
Bio proposed a fine of five dollars to be imposed upon each citizen 
who did not come up to the polls of the municipal election and de- 
posit his vote. 

Almost ever}^ one who arrives at Rio is expecting letters that may 
have anticipated him by some steamer, and, as soon as his trunks are 
relieved from the Custom-House, he makes his way to the Post-Office, 
in the Rua Direita. In old da} T s, inextricable confusion presented 
itself on every hand. You saw a large vestibule occupied b}^ soldiers 
either on guard or sleeping on benches. The Postmaster General and 
his chief employees were in the rooms above. You entered the vesti- 
bule. Behind a high counter were the letters and newspapers of the 
Post-Office, distributed, not in boxes, according to alphabetical order, 
but in heaps, according to the places from whence the} r have come ; 
as, for instance, from the Mines, from St. Paul's, and other import- 
ant points. Corresponding to this, on the walls of the room, were 
hung numerical fists of names, arranged under the head of Cartas de 
Minas, de S. Paulo, &c. The letters, with the exception of those 
belonging to certain mercantile houses, and to those who paid annual 
subscriptions to have their correspondence sent them, were piled 
together promiscuously, and he who came first had the privilege of 
looking over the whole mass and selecting what belonged to himself 
or his friends. After the establishment of foreign steam-lines, this 
was somewhat modified. On the day the steamer arrived an immense 
crowd gathered at the Post-Office, but the letters, instead of being 
investigated by all upon the counter, were carefully kept in the back- 



The Post-Ofpice. 35 

part of the hall, where four persons at a time were admitted. But 
the whole S3'stem was needlessly clumsy and inconvenient for a city 
of three hundred thousand inhabitants. I was informed at Rio that 
some } T ears since Mr. Gordon, of Boston, who was then U. S. Consul, 
offered to the Brazilian Government to put their chief Post-Office on 
the same footing of efficiency that existed in the United States. Mr. 
Gordon was admirably qualified for this, having been for a number 
of years the postmaster of the largest distributing and seaport office 
in New England. His offer was not accepted ; for the Brazilians, 
though more progressive than most South American people, still 
inherit man}' characteristics from their Portuguese ancestors, and 
a prominent one is dislike of change. The little progress that 
the mother- country has made during the last few centuries is ad- 
mirably illustrated in the following well-known story : — Once upon a 
time Adam requested leave to revisit this world : permission was 
granted, and an angel commissioned to conduct him. On wings of 
love the patriarch hastened to his native earth ; but so changed, so 
strange, all seemed to him, that he nowhere felt at home till he came 
to Portugal. " Ah, now," exclaimed he, " set me down ; everything 
here is just as I left it." 

I am, in 1879, happy to record a better state of affairs. With the 
new Post-Office came great reforms. Boxes and other postal im- 
provements were introduced. 

The larger mails, departing coastwise, are very frequent, regular, 
and swift. This ma} 7 also be said of the railwa3 T s in the Provinces of 
Rio, San Paulo, Pernambuco, Bahia, and elsewhere. Otherwise, inland 
transportation of letters is very slow. But when the D. Pedro II. 
Railwa} T and similar constructions reach far into the interior, there will 
be of course corresponding improvement in this respect. The mails 
on the vast river Amazon and some of its branches are regularly 
transported b} r steamers running from Para to Peru. Brazil also 
has a mail service on the Paraguay, performed by steamers, which 
run up to Cuiaba, the capital of Matto Grosso. The inland 
mails to the distant provinces depart once in five days, and return 
at corresponding intervals. Their transmission through the country 
is slow and tedious, being performed on horseback or by foot-carriers, 
at an average, throughout the empire, of twenty miles in twenty-four 
hours. Charges for postage are moderate, and a traveller to any 



S6 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

portion of the country is permitted to carry as many epistles as 
his friends will intrust to him, provided they have the Government 
stamp affixed to them. 

There is, however, one exception to the general cheapness of 
postage. It sometimes happens that books or packages which 
ought to have passed through the Custom-House find their way to 
the Post-Office, and then the expense is extravagant. There is a 
crying evil which ought to be remedied : I refer to the charge by 
the post-office clerks on letters which have already been prepaid. 
It amounts to downright robbery. If the officials are not paid 
a sufficient salary, let the Parliament reform the thing, so that 
official extortion may no longer continue. 

In years gone by, we next sought the large commercial trapiche 
(warehouse) of Messrs. Maxwell, Wright & Co. . This establishment 
was long well known as the leading commission-house of Rio de 
Janeiro. It was built up under the supervision of the vigilant and 
prompt Mr. Joseph Maxwell, of Gibraltar, and various members 
of his family, in connection with the Messrs. Wright of Baltimore. 
Few Americans and Englishmen have gone to Eio without receiving 
attentions from some one of the principals or employees of this 
house. At the abundantly-spread table in the dining-room of the 
trapiche, many have made their first acquaintance with Brazilian 
dishes and with the refreshing fruits of the tropics. 

In September, 1854, Sr. Jose Maxwell, the senior partner of this 
important firm, died ; and probably the funeral of no other private 
citizen in the capital or the empire was ever attended by such a 
throng as that which followed to the grave the remains of this kind 
father and respected citizen. This firm no longer exists. 

We pass, by the Bua do Bosario, again into the Rua Direita, and 
continue our promenade up the Bua do Ouvidor, which is the com- 
bined Bue Yivienne, Begent Street, and Broadway of Bio. It is 
not, however, either long or broad, but the shops upon it are bril- 
liant and in good taste. There is no part of the city so attractive 
to the recently-landed foreigner as this street, with its print-shops, 
feather-flower stores, and jewellery-establishments. The diamond, 
the topaz and emerald can here be purchased in any number, and 
are temptingly displayed behind rich plate-glass. The feather and 
insect-flowers manufactured in Brazil are original and most beauti- 



Feather-Flowers. 3? 

ful. The early Portuguese found that the Indians adorned them> 
selves with the rich plumage of the unsurpassingly brilliant birds 
of the forest. In the Amazonian regions the aborigines have not 
lost either the taste or the skill of their ancestors, and, like the 
cultivators of roses, they are not content with the gorgeous colors 
which nature has painted, but by artificial means produce new 
varieties. Thus, on the Rio Negro, the Uaupe Indians have a head- 
dress which is in the highest estimation, and they will only part 
with it under the pressure of the greatest necessity. This orna- 
ment consists of a coronet of red and yellow feathers disposed in 
regular rows and firmly attached to a strong plaited band. The 
feathers are entirely from the shoulders of the great red macaw; 
but they are not those that the bird naturally possesses, for the 
Indians have a curious art by which they change the colors of the 
plumage of many birds. They pluck out a certain number of 
feathers, and in the various vacancies thus occasioned infuse the 
milky secretion made from the skin of a small frog. When the 
feathers grow again they are of a brilliant yellow or orange color, 
without any mixture of green or blue as in the natural state of the 
bird; and it is said that the much-coveted yellow feather will 
ever after be reproduced without a new infusion of the milky 
secretion. 

In the National Museum on the Campo St. Anna, many of the 
carious head-dresses and feather-robes of the aboriginal tribes 
attract the attention of the visitor. 

There are few curiosities more esteemed in Europe and the 
United States than the feather-flowers of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia. 
They are made from the natural plumage, though from time to 
time the novice has palmed off upon him a bouquet, the leaves of 
which, instead of being from the parrot, have been stolen from the 
back of the white ibis and then dyed. This deception can, how- 
ever, be detected by observing the stem of the feather to be colored 
green, which never is the case in nature. No one travelling in the 
English steamers should postpone his purchases of these beautiful 
souvenirs of bright birds and Brazil until he arrives at St. Vincent, 
for the numerous pedlars of that island offer an inferior article 
made from artificially-colored feathers. Rio de Janeiro is the best 
mart for this kind of merchandise. No ornament can surpass the 



88 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

splendor of the flowers made from the breasts and throats of 
humming-birds. A lady whose bonnet or hair is adorned with 
such plumage seems to be surrounded with flashes of the most 
gorgeous and ever-varying brilliancy. The carnations and other 
flowers made from a happy combination of the feathers of the 
scarlet ibis and the rose-colored spoonbill are also very natural, and 
are highly prized. 

Tn these shops we may also find fish-scale flowers, and those 
manufactured from the wings of insects, and breast-pins which are 
made by setting a small brilliant beetle in gold. 

From the Eua do Ouvidor we turn into the Eua dos Ourives, 
(Goldsmiths' Street,) where are scores of shops filled with large 
quantities of silver and gold ornaments, from a spur to a crucifix. 

We now wend our way through the Largo de S. Francisco de Paula 
to the Largo do Eocio, the station for " 'busses" before the days of 
trams. We ma}^ yet find an omnibus for the Suburbs. The Brazilian 
omnibus is very much like its prototype in all parts of the world, 
with this single and very important exception : — it is not elastic. 
A New York or Philadelphia omnibus is proverbially "never full;" 
but the same kind of vehicle in Eio can be filled, and, when once 
complete, the conductor closes the door, cries " Vamos embora" (Let 
us be off,) the driver flourishes his long thong and sets his four- 
mule team into a gallop. Away we go, rattling across gutters as 
if there were none, and rushing through narrow streets as if negro 
water-carriers had no existence. It is curious to behold the heavy- 
laden slaves clearing the street and dodging into open shop-doors 
as an omnibus appears in sight. Few accidents occur; and, when 
they do, prompt reparation is made. On one occasion I was in a 
" gondola" in the narrow Eua S. Jose. Our four long-eared beasts 
were plunging on at a fearful rate, and, being much more un- 
manageable than horses, could not be pulled up until the fore-wheel 
crunched upon the legs of a poor old mullatress. She was severely 
but not fatally injured, and was instantly cared for. The gondola- 
driver, however, I never saw again holding the reins. The House 
of Correction, or one of the many prisons, was, without doubt, his 
abode for the next few months. 

The streets, with their diminutive sidewalks, are so narrow that 
in many of them only one vehicle can pass at a time. I was more 



JN arrow Streets and Police-Regulations. 



39 



than once reminded of Pompeii and Herculaneum, not only in some 
of the commonest utensils and mechanic implements, in the open 
shop-windows, and in the house of the Brazilian, who demands a 
fine parlor, (theperist3 T le,) and } r et will sleep in a windowless alcove 
like a duugeon's cell ; but in nothing was the resemblance more 
striking than in the narrow ruas, which, doubtless, had their 
origin in the desire to procure shade. Mr. George S. Hillard, in 
his thought-begetting " Six Months in Italy," says of the narrow 
thoroughfares of Pompeii, "As each vehicle must have occupied 
the space between the curbstones, we are left without any means 
of conjecturing what expedients were resorted to, or what police- 
regulations were in force, when two carriages, moving in different 
directions, met each other." If this accomplished author had 
visited Eio de Janeiro previous to his excursion to the buried cities 
of Magna G-recia, the mystery would have been solved. In the 
narrow Euas Ouvidor, Eosario, Hospicio, Alfandega, S. Jose, and 
others, carriages and omnibuses never meet ; and so admirable are 
the police-regulations that no mistakes ever occur. At the corner 
of each of these streets where it is crossed by another, we see 
painted, with great distinctness, an index immediately under the 
name of the street. Thus, two of the streets mentioned above are 
adjacent to and parallel with each other, and are crossed by the 
Euas Direita and Quitanda. Upon their Eua Direita corners we 
behold the following : — 



RUA DO ROSARIO. 



RUA DO OUVIDOR. 



Now, if I am in a carriage at the point where the Euas Direita and 
Rosario cross each other, and I wish to visit a shop at the corner 
of the latter street and the Eua Quitanda, although it is more direct 
for me to ascend by the Eua do Eosario, yet my Jehu knows that 



40 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



if he should go contrary to the index he would be subjected to a 
heavy fine and forfeiture of certain privileges as a coachman. He 
therefore whirls through the Direita, up the Eua do Ouvidor, and 
along the Quitanda, travelling the three sides of the square, and 
thus avoiding all collision. 



J 



1 



i i 

J L 



Rua da Quitanda. 




Kua Direita. 



r 



In the city of New York there has been for many years every 
imaginable proposition for the relief of Broadway, and there is 
scarcely a citizen or visitor in that vast emporium who has not on 
more than one occasion been subjected to great inconvenience by 
the regular " blockade" instituted every day in the lower part 
of that immense thoroughfare, the whole of which might have been 
avoided by the simple application of the Brazilian plan. 

But let us in imagination go back fifteen years and describe the 
old, inconvenient, but rather picturesque, omnibus ride before the days 
of tramways. 

Now onward rushes our omnibus at a rapid pace. We whirl by 
the Carioca Fountain, and, before we can give a second look at the 
green sides of the Antonio Hill, we are bowling along under the 
garden-walls of the lofty Ajuda Convent. All seems dismal, 
with the exception of the foliage that appears above the high 
enclosure. A turn brings us into the Largo da Ajuda, and at once 
we have the wonderful view — to Northern eyes at least — of the 
Passeio Publico, {Public Promenade,) and before us the verdant 
slopes of the Santa Theresa Hill. From beneath the tropic-trees 



The Passeio Publico. 



41 



which cover the latter, neat white cottages are peeping, and, for 
a residence, no elevation within the city is preferable to Santa 
Theresa. The Passeio Publico, which we are passing, was a 
favorite resort of mine at Rio; and at all times — whether at night, 
when it is brilliantly illuminated, or in the brightest hour of the 
day — it is one of the pleasantest promenades within the precincts 
of the municipality. Here are overhanging trees, blooming para- 




AQUEDUCT, LARGO DA LAPA, AND PASSEIO PUBLICO, FROM THE SANTA THERESA. 



sites, rare plants, shady walks, and cool fountains. On the side 
which fronts the bay is a large terrace, from which is a magnifi- 
cent prospect of the Gloria Hill, the distant Sugar-Loaf, and, far 
beyond, the rolling ocean. 

Having passed this public garden, we are in the square called 
Largo da Lapa. The palatial building on our right was purchased 
a few years ago for the National Library, and was formerly one 
of the most splendid private mansions in Eio. 

Over a superbly-paved street our omnibus is hurrying ; but from 



42 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

time to time an open gate or a tall Cape of Good Hope pine-tree 
tells us that gardens are in the rear of forbidding looking walls. 
We dash along what is called the " Coast of Africa/' — a long row 
of low houses on our right ; while on our left the bay is beneath 
us, and therefore, the street being unshaded, the appropriateness of 
the hot cognomen. That large three-story building, formerly the 
English Embassy, was a foundling hospital. The Chafariz of St. 
Theresa is built up against a portion of the rock of the jutting 
hill whence it derives its name. After passing the gardens of the 
late Barao de Meriti and the Gloria Hill, our passengers begin 
to descend at the various streets which cross the Catete, which is 
the widest thoroughfare in this portion of the capital. Each per- 
son, as he rises to depart, lifts his hat, and the compliment is 
returned by every individual in the omnibus, though all may be 
entire strangers. No one ever enters a large public conveyance in 
Rio without saluting those within and receiving in return a polite 
acknowledgment of his presence. Yery frequently a pinch of snuff 
is offered to you by your unknown neighbor. I have seen gentle- 
men but recently returned from Brazil enter a New York omnibus 
and deferentially salute the inmates : the polite strangers were 
received with a smile of derision or looked upon with a stare 
of contempt. 

Each omnibus has painted in large characters upon its sides its 
capacity: thus, "14 pessoas" means that the vehicle is registered 
at the Bureau de Police to contain that number of persons, and 
one passenger more than the registered number would subject the 
company to a heavy fine. I have never seen more passengers 
within than the figures on the side indicated. 

I have more than once mentioned the "gondola," — that name 
associated with love-romance and Yenice, "moonrise, high mid- 
night, and the voice of song." When I first heard that melli- 
fluous term in Brazil, I fancied that the sharp and graceful little 
barges of the Queen of the Adriatic had been transported to the 
bright waters of Bio de Janeiro; but I soon discovered my mis- 
take, and ascertained that this sweet Italian word was used to 
designate most unpoetic four-wheeled vehicles, drawn by as many 
kicking, stubborn mules ! The gondola in every respect resembles 
the omnibus, save that no conductor accompanies it. You prepay 



The Gondola. 43 

Senhor Bernardo or a Senhor somebody else at the Largo do Paco ; 
and if there are any way-fares, these are received by the driver. 
The gondola does not have the convenience which the New York 
omnibus possesses, in the shape of the leather strap by which the 
passenger causes the driver to pull up at the will of the former. 
In lieu of this, passengers make a very free use of canes, umbrellas, 
and fists, battering at a terrible rate the end of the gondola nearest 
the driver; or occasionally the leg of the latter is rather more 
warmly than affectionately embraced by the individual sitting next to 
the farther window. Sometimes the gondola cannot be " propelled'' 
by its living oars ; and, under such circumstances, when a Scotch- 
man, a Yankee, or a Frenchman will relieve himself of many hard 
words at the unfortunate Jehu, the Brazilians remain perfectly 
calm, not once descending to see what is the matter, and con- 
versing with one another as philosophically as if nothing had hap- 
pened. On one occasion I was witness to a scene which will scarcely 
be credited. As a gondola full of passengers was turning out 
of the Bua dos Ourives, it unfortunately " stuck." The driver 
shouted at his mules, thrashed them with his long raw-hide thong, 
tchewed* at them, and stamped his footboard, all to no purpose : 
the animals could not start the vehicle. Not one passenger got 
out, but all looked from the windows as if this was a part of the 
programme for which they had paid their dous testoes, (five English 
pence,) and they determined to have their money's worth. The 
poor driver was in deep distress": quite a crowd collected, but no 
one offered to aid him, until he, by sundry vintems, allured the ser- 
vices of several Africans, whose broad shoulders applied to the 
wheels, in conjunction with the pulling of the mules, moved gon- 
dola, passengers, and all. 

Having something of a philological turn, I inquired why these 
public conveyances were called gondolas. I was not long in ascer- 
taining that a monopoly had been granted to certain omnibus com- 
panies, which was considered onerous, but the municipal govern- 
ment could not in conscience abolish the contract or confer a new 



* A sound unrepresentable by letters, similar to that made in the United States 
in scaring chickens, by which all classes, high and low, in Brazil, call the atten- 
tion of others. 



44 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

charter upon another omnibus association ; however, all scruples were 
finahy overcome by granting privileges to a gondola company to cany 
passengers ! But the days of gondolas are over. 

We will end our ride at the Ponta do Catete, and will thence make 
our way to the Hotel dos Estrangeiros, at the commencement of the 
Caminho Velho de Botafogo. It needs but few steps. The Hotel 
dos Estrangeiros is a large house kept on the French plan, and is sur- 
rounded b}^ verdure, if we consider the neighboring gardens, or the 
-adjacent hills, whose sides are covered with luxuriantry-foliaged trees 
and clambering vines. The old omnibus route is that which is fol- 
lowed by the Botanical Gardens tramwaj^, which was begun by the 
enterprise of C. B. Greenough, 1866, and inaugurated by the Emperor, 
1868. 

The stranger at Rio de Janeiro is usually surprised at the 
scarcity of inns and boarding-houses. There are several French, 
English, and Italian hotels, with apartments to let and with res- 
taurants attached. But none are large, and these are chiefly 
supported by the numerous foreigners constantly arriving and 
temporarily residing in the place. But among the native popula- 
tion, and intended for Brazilian patronage, there are only eight or 
ten inns in a city of three hundred thousand inhabitants, and 
scarcely any of these exceed the dimensions of a private house. 
It is almost inconceivable how the numerous visitors to this great 
emporium find necessary accommodations. It may safely be pre- 
sumed that they could not, without a heavy draught upon the 
hospitalities of the inhabitants, with whom, in many instances, 
a letter of introduction secures a home. In the lack of such a 
resort, the sojourner rents a room, and, by the aid of his servant 
and a few articles of furniture, soon manages to live, with more or 
less frequent resorts to some caza de pasto or restaurant. Most 
■of the members of the National Assembly keep up domestic esta- 
blishments during their sojourn in the capital. As a consequence 
•of this lack of hotels and boarding-houses, some of the commercial 
firms maintain a table for the convenience of their clerks and 
guests. This was once much more common; but, since 1850, pro- 
bably the greater portion of those formerly thus accommodated 
club together, rent a house in Botafogo, Praia Grande, or on the 
Santa Theresa, and keep up an establishment of their own. 



First Night in the Tropics. ■ 45 

Haying thus been cicerone of the reader in his rapid whirl through 
this portion of the city, I know of no fitter termination to the day than 
for him to imagine himself in one* of the vast rooms of the Hotel dos 
Estrangeiros. 

For many days, in a narrow berth, you have been rudely rocked 
by the billows, and this is the first night on terra firma and a com- 
fortable bed. The windows of your apartment are wide open, and, 
as you close your eyes, the land-breeze, murmuring softly, bears 
upon its wings not only the sweet, fresh smell of the earth, but, 
stealing in its course from the adjacent gardens the fragrance of 
jessamines, the delicate scent of the fiora-pondia, and the odor of 
the opening orange-blooms, it loads the evening air with the 
richest aroma. The distant booming of the waves, as they break 
upon the Praia do Flamengo, is a soothing melody, which lulls 
you to dreams of scenes not more lovely than those around you, 
where are 

" Larger constellations burning, mellow moons and happy skies, 
Breadths of tropic shade, and palms in cluster, knots of paradise," — 

a land where 

"Slides the bird o'er lustrous woodland, swings the trailer from the crag,. 
Droops the heavy -blossom' d bower, hangs the heavy-fruited tree, — 
Summer-isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of sea." 

Note for 1879. — The engravings on pages 28 and 29, though graphically 
representing the former state of things, are no longer apropos. They are kept as 
a matter of history. The Government has forbidden such exhausting and cruel 
labor of the slaves. Carts now carry the coffee. But the municipality of Rio 
should go one step further, and charge three times the amount for license on every 
cart which does not have springs. To say nothing of the immense weight of the 
vehicle now in use, whose parallel can only be found in Portugal, it acts like a 
sledge-hammer to constantly batter the pavement to pieces. A cart with springs 
could be made just as strong with half the weight, and one mule could propel as 
much as two with the present brutal street destroying machine. We are glad to 
see already a few New York spring-carts at Rio. Seven or eight different horse- 
railways now traverse various parts of the city and suburbs, and an inclined plane 
ascends the Sta. Theresa hill, connecting with a tramway which runs the whole 
length of this beautiful elevated region. 



CHAPTEE III. 

DISCOVERT OF SOUTH AMERICA PINZON'S VISIT TO BRAZIL CABRAL COELHO 

AMERICUS VESPUCIUS THE NAME "BRAZIL" BAY OF RIO DE JANEIRO 

MARTIN AFFONSO DE SOUZA — PAST GLORY OF PORTUGAL — COLIGNY's HUGUENOT 
COLONY — THE PROTESTANT BANNER FIRST UNFURLED IN THE NEW WORLD — 
TREACHERY OF VILLEGAGNON — CONTEST BETWEEN THE PORTUGUESE AND THE 
FRENCH DEFEAT OF THE LATTER SAN SEBASTIAN FOUNDED CRUEL INTOLE- 
RANCE- REFLECTIONS. 

Although the bay and city of Eio de Janeiro are fraught with 
interesting associations to the general student of history, and still 
more to the Protestant Christian as that portion of the New World 
where the banner of the Eeformed religion was first unfurled, yet 
I have thought it best to introduce here a brief account of the 
early discovery and settlement of Brazil. 

Guanihani — that outpost of the New World — was beheld by 
European eyes six years before the discovery of South America. 
In 1498, Columbus landed near the mouth of the Orinoco. He 
recorded, in enthusiastic language, " the beauty of the new land," 
and declared that he felt as if "he could never leave so charming 
a spot." The honor, however, of discovering the Western hemi- 
sphere south of the equator must be awarded to Yincent Yanez 
Pinzon, who was a companion of Columbus, and had commanded 
the "Nina" in that first glorious voyage which made known to the 
Old World the existence of the New. Pinzon sailed from Palos in 
December, 1499, and, crossing the equator, his eyes were glad- 
dened, on the 26th of January, 1500, by a green promontory, 
Avhich he called Cape Consolation. This is now known as Cape 
St. Augustine, the headland just south of the city of Pernambuco. 
He sailed thence northward, discovering the vast mouths of the 
Amazon, and touched at various points until he reached the 
Orinoco. 

When Pinzon beheld the palm-groves and densely-foliaged 
46 



Discoveries of Pinzon and Cabral. 47 

forests, and had scented the spicy breezes which were wafted from 
the shore, he supposed that he was visiting India-bey ond-the- 
Ganges, and believed that he had already sailed past the renowned 
Cathay. In the name of Castile he took possession of the goodly 
land; bat, before he reached Spain, Pedro Alvares Cabral, a distin- 
guished Portuguese navigator, had claimed the territory for his 
own monarch. On the return of Yasco da Gama to Portugal, in 
1499, with the certainty of having discovered the route to the 
Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, the king Dom Emanuel 
determined to send a large fleet to those famous regions, with 
instructions to enter into commercial relations with the Eastern 
sovereigns, or, in case of refusal, to make war upon them and sub- 
due them. The command of this expedition was intrusted to 
Cabral, and, on the 9th of March, the large fleet, with ita teen 
hundred soldiers and mariners, sailed amid grand military and 
religious ceremonials, the king himself honoring the occasion by 
his august presence. With this handful of men, intended for the 
coercion of the Orient to the commercial notions of Portugal, 
Cabral directed his course to the Cape de Yerdes, and thence, in 
order to avoid the calms which prevail on the African coast, he ran 
so far to the westward, that, without any intention on his part, he 
discovered, on the 21st of April, 1500, the same land which, ninety 
days previously, had been visited by Pinzon. Cabral's discovery 
was, however, in the present province of Espirito Santo, near 
Mount Pascal, which is eight degrees south of Cape St. Augustine. 
Some Brazilian writers grudgingly mention the voyage of Pin- 
zon; others ignore him altogether, wishing seemingly to ascribe 
all the glory to one of their own Portuguese ancestors. Doubtless 
Cabral was led by the trade- winds and by the currents — of which 
he was not aware — to the coast of Brazil, and thus made his for- 
tunate discovery. To-day, vessels sailing from Europe for the East 
Indies can (as is well demonstrated by Lieutenant Maury's wind 
and current charts) make the swiftest voyages by taking advan- 
tage of the wonderful trade-winds, steering first toward South 
America and afterward in the direction of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Pinzon set forth from Palos with the intention of making Western 
discoveries; Cabral sailed from Lisbon with instructions to pro- 
ceed to the Eastern discoveries of Yasco da Gama ; but, because a 



48 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

happy accident (some say a fierce storm) forced his fleet to Brazil, 
and that, too, months after the landing of the Spanish navigator 
at Cape St. Augustine, there is neither reason nor justice in the 
national pride which endeavors to take away the priority of dis- 
covery from Vincent Yanez Pinzon. 

On Easter Sunday mass was celebrated; and on the 1st of May 
this solemnity was repeated, and, in the presence of thousands 
of the aborigines, a huge cross was erected, bearing the insignia 
of Dom Emanuel, and the land, to which they gave the name of 
Vera Cruz, was solemnly taken possession of in the name of the 
King of Portugal.* 

It was the Padre Frei Henrique, of Coimbra, who conducted the 
religious ceremonies, and in which he was piously joined (so reads 
the chronicle) by os indigenos imitando os gestos e movimentos dos 
Portugezes, (the savages imitating the gestures and movements of 
the Portuguese.) 

Two convicts were left with the natives, and one of these after- 
ward became of great use as an interpreter. Cabral despatched 
Gaspar de Lemos to Lisbon, to inform the monarch of the dis- 
covery and appropriation of the new land of the True Cross, and 
then pursued his route to the East Indies. The Pope of Eomo 
laid down a rule regulating the proprietorship of countries dis- 
covered by Spain and Portugal, and thus was disposed the question 
between Pinzon and Cabral. 

The king Dom Emanuel was deeply interested in the intelli- 
gence brought him by Gaspar de Lemos, and, in May, 1501, sent 
out to his new dominions three caravellas under the command 
of Gongalo Coelho.f In one of these vessels was Americus Ves- 
pucius. This expedition partook more of the character of failure 
than of success, and was replaced, in 1503, by a second, which, 
consisting of double the number of ships employed in the first, 
sailed, according to some authorities, under Christopher Jacques ;f 
according to others, under the same Goncalo Coelho,J accompanied 



* Historia do Brazil, by Gen. J. I. de Abreu Lima. Rio de Janeiro, 1843. 
| Ibid. vol. i. chap. ii. 

J Epitome da Hist, do Brazil, (by Jose Pedro Xavier Pinheiro. Bahia, 1854,) 
cbap. i. p. 27. 



The Name "Brazil." 49 

again by Americus. Four of these vessels were lost, with the 
commander-in-chief; but the lucky Florentine escaped, and lived 
to deprive, indirectly, the new territory of the name conferred 
upon it by Cabral. (1) 

The two remaining ships entered a bay, now supposed to be the 
spacious Bahia de Todos os Santos, and afterward coasted south- 
ward two hundred and sixteen leagues, and there remained five 
months anchored near the land, and maintained amicable relations 
with the natives. Here they erected a fortress, and left in it 
twenty-four men. 

As the most valuable part of the cargo which Americus Yes- 
pucius carried back to Europe was the well-known dyewood, Ccesal- 
jpinia Braziliensis, — called, in the Portuguese language, pau brazil, 
on account of its resemblance to brazas, " coals of fire/' — the land 
whence it came was termed the "land of the brazil-wood;" and, 
finally, this appellation was shortened to Brazil, and completely 
usurped the names Vera Cruz or Santa Cruz. {2) This change was 
not effected without protestations on the part of some, — not because 
t&eir taste for euphony was shocked, but on the ground that the 
cause of religion required a sacred title to the fairest possession 
of faithful Lusitania in the New World. One of the reverendis- 
simos declared that it was through the express interposition of the 
devil that such a choice and lovely land should be called Brazil 
instead of the pious cognomen given to it by Cabral. Another — 
a devoted Jesuit — poured forth a jeremiad on the subject, con- 
cluding, with emphasis, by stating what a shame it was that "the 
cupidity of man, by unworthy traffic, should change the wood 
of the cross, red with the real blood of Christ, for that of another 
wood which resembled it only in color" ! 

Other voyages were undertaken at the order of Spain and of 
Portugal, — thus making known the whole coast of Eastern South 
America from the Amazon to the Straits of Majellan. Among the 
navigators at the head of these expeditions were De Solis and Ma- 
jellan, (Magalhaes.) In 1515, De Solis sailed on his Southern voyage, 
and discovered the Eio de la Plata, which at first bore his own name. 
On his way thither, he entered the bay now known as Eio de Janeiro. 
Fernando de Majellan, a Portuguese in the service of Charles I. of 
Spain, sailed, in 1519, to discover the western passage to the Indies. 



50 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

On the 13th of December he entered the bay previously visited by 
De Solis, and remained there until the 27th of the same month, and 
gave to it the name of Bahia (bay) de Santa Luzia, — the day of his 
entrance being the anniversary of that saint. He afterward coasted 
along the continent until he entered those straits which still bear 
his name, and which were for a century the only known highway 
to the Pacific. Majellan was the first to circumnavigate the gtobe. 
The usual account of the origin of the term Bio de Janeiro, so 
inappropriately given to a bay, has already been referred to. The 
facts seem to be adverse to the generally-accepted explanation that 
Martin Alfonso de Souza discovered this sheet of water — which he 
supposed to be a river — on the 1st of January, 1531. It is incon- 
testable that it was entered twice at least several years previous to 
his departure from Portugal. Martin Affonso de Souza was a 
Portuguese gentleman of noble lineage, and of high estimation in 
the court of Dom John III. The king, having received information 
of the visits of Spaniards to the coasts which he considered his 
own, determined to send an expedition, commanded by De Souza, 
to Brazil. De Souza had plenary powers on land and on sea, and 
was to fortify and distribute the new territory. He was the first 
donatory of Portugal in Brazil, and sailed from Lisbon on the 3d 
of December, 1530. In a few weeks he sighted Cape St. Augustine, 
near which he encountered three French vessels. He gave them 
battle, came off victorious, and took them in triumph to the pre- 
sent harbor of Pernambuco. After refitting, he came to Bahia de 
Todos os Santos, where was the little settlement of the shipwrecked 
Diogo Alvares Correa, (Caramuru,) whose romantic history is nar- 
rated in another portion of this work. After some delay, he again 
sailed southward, and, on the 30th of April, 1531, entered the bay 
which had already been named Santa Luzia and Rio de Janeiro. 
By reflecting for a moment upon the time (December 3, 1530) when 
Martin Affonso de Souza departed from Lisbon, and the various 
events and delays of the voyage, we can easily perceive that it 
would be an impossibility to sail more than five thousand miles, 
(and his were not modern clipper-ships,) fight and capture three 
vessels, refresh successively at two different ports, and then 
reach the Bay of Bio de Janeiro on the 1st of January, 1531. (3i 
Aside from this, we have the direct and simple statement of Pero 



Past Glory of Portugal. 51 

Lopes de Souza, brother to the commander, which not only settles 
the date of their arrival, but the fact that the bay or supposed 
river was previously known as Rio de Janeiro, — viz. : " Saturday, 
30th of April, at four o'clock in the morning, we were in the mouth 
of Eio de Janeiro." (4) 

Martin Affonso de Souza formed no settlement on the shores of 
the magnificent bay which he had entered, but contented himself 
with remaining there for a few months, where he constructed three 
brigantines, and then sailed to the coast of the present province 
of Sao Paulo. At a place which possessed no great natural ad- 
vantages he commenced the first European colony (Yespucius's 
handful of men and Caramuru's wigwams cannot be called the 
earliest settlements) in Brazil, and named it St. Vincent. St. Yin- 
cent no longer exists, unless its existence may be predicated in the 
few miserable houses and the broken fountain which mark the 
spot where was laid the first stone of the proudest colony of Por- 
tugal. On the margin of that spacious and protected harbor which 
De Souza rejected for an exposed arm of the sea, has sprung up the 
first commercial city of South America, and the third in the New 
World. 

It will not be uninstructive to glance at the position, at that 
time, of the kingdom which sent forth Diaz, Yasco da Gama, 
Cabral, Coelho, Christopher Jacques, Yespucius, and De Souza, 
upon new and hazardous voyages of discovery. The territory of 
European Portugal was then no greater than at present ; but her 
ambitious monarchs and her daring navigators had pushed their 
conquests and discoveries not only along the whole western and 
eastern coasts of Africa, but to "the farthest Ind." Bartholomew 
Diaz beheld the Cape of Good Hope six years before Columbus 
discovered America ; and Yasco da Gama doubled the same cape 
ere the great Genoese landed at the mouth of the Orinoco. Por- 
tugal had flourishing colonies in Angola, Loango, and Congo, before 
Cortez had burned his ships in the Mexican Gulf. Before the 
Honorable East India Company was dreamed of, Portuguese vice- 
roys and Portuguese commercial enterprises swayed it over mil- 
lions in Hindostan and Ceylon. They trafficked with the distant 
Peguans and the little-known Burmese, on the banks of the Irra- 
waddy, three hundred years before Judson proclaimed, near the 



52 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

same river, the gospel of the blessed Saviour. Centuries before the 
English possessed Hong-Kong or the Americans had opened Japan 
by commercial treaties, Portugal owned Macao, held intercourse 
with the curious Chinese, traded with the Japanese, and, through 
her priests, led more than half a million of those almond-eyed 
islanders to embrace the doctrines of Eome. Of her immense 
acquisitions by conquest and discovery, that of Brazil was not to 
be the least in its importance and future destiny. When we look 
at what Portugal was and what she is, we can only exclaim, a How 
are the mighty fallen I" Portugal has been weighed in the balance 
and found wanting. Shorn of all her possessions in the East except 
a territory (comprising Goa and a few unimportant islands) not so 
large as the State of South Carolina, her commerce is now scarcely 
known in the Indian Seas. Her dominion west of Asia is limited 
to her own small European kingdom, to" languishing colonies in 
Africa, and to a few islands in the Atlantic. She owns not an inch 
of territory in the Western World, where once she had a quarter 
of the continent. She had not the conservative salt of a pure Chris- 
tianity to preserve her moralit}^ and her greatness. Like Spain, 
she became at once the patron and the protectress of the Inquisi- 
tion; and, though the Portuguese are far more tolerant than the 
Spaniards, yet the Government of Portugal held on to that cursed 
engine of Boman intolerance until 1821. The contrast between 
Holland and Portugal forces itself upon the consideration of all. 
They are both nearly of the same European area and population, 
both were great maritime nations in the sixteenth century, and 
both made extensive conquests in the East. But, while neighbor- 
ing states have created a mercantile marine since the era referred 
to, Holland, in this respect, still ranks as the third power in 
Europe and the fourth in the world, and her internal prosperity 
has not declined. Her credit has always maintained the highest 
place among the nations of the earth, while Portugal has been 
more than once on the verge of bankruptcy. Holland to-day 
governs twenty-two millions of people, who are prosperous and 
advancing, whether in the Eastern or the Western hemisphere. 
Portugal, in all her dominions, rules less than one-third of that 
number. The former is distinguished for tolerance and intelli- 
gence; the latter, under the blighting shadow of the Papacy, has, 



Coligny's Huguenot Colony. 53 

even in the latter half of the nineteenth century, manifested nar- 
rowness and bigotry , (5> and her people, as a whole, have been the 
most ignorant of Europe. The last few years have, however, we 
trust, been the precursor of a better era for Portugal. Her young 
and enlightened monarch has come to the throne with enlarged 
views, and it is fondly hoped that his subjects will be elevated, and 
that Portugal will assume a position more in accordance with the 
historical traditions of those days when her kings were energetic, 
and when her navigators laid at her feet the treasures of the 
world. 

Eeturning from this digression, let us again watch the progress 
of events in the new acquisitions of Portugal in the Western World. 

Other eyes than those of Spanish navigators were looking toward 
Brazil, and to that very portion of it which had been slighted by 
Martin Alfonso de Souza. Among the adventurers from France 
was Nicholas Durand de Yillegagnon, a Knight of Malta, a man 
of considerable abilities, and of some distinction in the French 
service. He had even been appointed to the gallant post of com- 
mander of the vessel which bore Mary, Queen of Scots, from France 
to her own realms. Yillegagnon aspired to the honor of establish- 
ing a colony in the New World, and Eio de Janeiro was the chosen 
spot for his experiment. He had the address, in the outset, to 
secure the patronage of the great and good Admiral Coligny, 
whose persevering attempt to plant the Eeformed religion in 
both North and South America was a leading feature in his life 
up to the time when St. Bartholomew's Eve was written in 
characters of blood. 

Yillegagnon proposed to found an asylum for the persecuted 
Huguenots. Admiral Coligny's influence secured to him a respect- 
able number of colonists. The French court was disposed to view 
with no small satisfaction the plan of founding a colony, after the 
example of the Portuguese and Spaniards. 

It was in the year 1555 that Henry II., the reigning king, fur- 
nished three small vessels, of which Yillegagnon took the com- 
mand and sailed from Havre de Grace. A gale of wind occurred 
while they were yet on the coast, and obliged them to put into 
Dieppe, which they accomplished with considerable difficulty. By 
this time many of the artificers, soldiers, and noble adventurers 



54 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

had become sick of the sea, and abandoned the expedition so soon 
as they reached the shore. 

After a long and perilous voyage, Villcgagnon entered the Bay 
of Mthcrohy, and commenced fortifying a small island near the 
entrance, now denominated Lage, and occupied by a fort. His 
fortress, however, being of wood, could not resist the action of the 
water at flood-tide, and he was obliged to remove farther upward, 
to the island now called Villcgagnon, where he built a fort, at first 
named in honor of his patron, Coligny. This expedition was well 
planned, and the place for a colony fitly chosen. The native tribes 
were hostile to the Portuguese, but had long traded amicably with 
the French. Some hundreds of them assembled on the shore at 
the arrival of the vessels, kindled bonfires in token of their joy, and 
offered every thing they possessed to these allies who had come to 
defend them against the Portuguese. Such a reception inspired 
the French with the idea that the continent was already their own, 
and they denominated it La France Antarctique. 

It was upon this island that they erected their rude place of 
worship, and here these French Puritans offered their prayers and 
sang their hymns of praise nearly threescore years and ten before 
a Pilgrim placed his foot on Plymouth Rock, and more than half a 
century before the Book of Common Prayer was borne to the 
banks of the James River. 

On the return of the vessels to Europe for a new supply of colo- 
nists, considerable zeal was awakened for the establishment of the 
Reformed religion in these remote parts. The Church of Geneva 
became interested in the object, and sent two ministers and four- 
teen students, who determined to bravo all the hardships of an 
unknown climate and of a new mode of life in the cause. It is 
interesting to reflect that when the Reformation was yet in its 
infancy, the subject of propagating the gospel in distant parts 
of the world was one that engaged the hearts of Christians in the 
city of Geneva while Calvin, Farel, and Theodore do Beza were 
still living. It would bo difficult to find an earlier instance of 
Protestant missionary effort. 

As the situation of the Huguenots in France was any thing but 
happy, the combined motive of seeking deliverance from oppression 
and the advancement of their faith appears to have prevailed 



The Treachery of Villegagnon. 55 

extensively, and induced many to embark. When we look at the 
incipient movements of this enterprise, without the knowledge 
of its conclusion, there seems as much reason to hope that the 
principles of the Eeformation would have taken root here, as they 
did afterward in North America, where they have produced a 
harvest of such wonderful results. 

But misfortunes seemed to attend every step of the enterprise. 
At Harfieur, the Papist populace rose against the colonists, and 
the latter, after losing one of their best officers in the conflict, 
were obliged to seek safety in retreat. They had a tedious voyage, 
suffering at one time from a violent storm; and, having neared 
the Brazilian coast, had a slight encounter with the Portuguese. 
However, they were received by Yillegagnon with apparent cor- 
diality, and effectual operations began to be undertaken for their 
establishment. But it was not long before certain untoward circum- 
stances occurred which developed the real and villanous character 
of their leader. 

Having gained over to his complete influence a certain number 
who cared not for spiritual piety, Villegagnon, under pretence 
of changing his religion and returning to the true faith, com- 
menced a series of persecutions. Those who had come to Antarctic 
France to enjoy liberty of conscience found their condition worse 
than before. They were subjected to abusive treatment and great 
hardships. This unnatural defection consummated the premature 
ruin of the colony. The newly-arrived colonists demanded leave 
to return, which was granted, but in a vessel so badly furnished 
that some refused to embark, and the majority, who persisted, 
endured the utmost misery of famine. Yillegagnon had given 
them a box of letters, wrapped in sere-cloth, as was the custom. 
Among them was one directed to the chief magistrate of the port 
where they might chance to arrive, in which this worthy friend 
of the Guises denounced the men whom he had invited out to 
Brazil to enjoy the peaceable exercise of the Eeformed religion ; as 
heretics worthy of the stake. The magistrates of Hennebonne, 
where they landed, happened to favor the Reformation, and thus 
the malignity of Yillegagnon was frustrated, and his treachery 
exposed. Of those who had feared to trust themselves to a vessel 
so badty stored, and so unfit for the voyage, three were put to 



56 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

death by this persecutor. Others of the Huguenots fled from him 
to the Portuguese, where they were compelled to apostatize, and 
to profess a religion which they abhorred. 

The homeAvard-bound colonists were reduced to the greatest 
extremity, and, from want of food, they not only devoured all the 
leather, — even to the covering of their trunks, — but in their despair 
they attempted to chew the hard, dry brazil-wood which hap- 
pened to be in the vessel. Several died of hunger ; and they had 
begun to form the resolution of devouring each other, when land 
appeared in view. They arrived just in time to undeceive a body of 
Flemish adventurers ready to embark for Brazil, and also about ten 
thousand Frenchmen, who would have emigrated if the object of 
Coligny in founding his colony had not thus been wickedly betrayed. 

Though the Portuguese were so jealous of the Brazilian trade 
that they treated all interlopers as pirates, yet, by some oversight, 
they permitted this French colony to remain four years unmolested; 
and, had it not been for the treachery of Villegagnon to his own 
party, Bio de Janeiro would probably have been, at this day, the 
capital of a French colony or of an independent State in which the 
Huguenot element would have been predominant. 

The Jesuits were well aware of this danger, and Nobrega, their 
chief and provincial, at length succeeded in rousing the court of 
Lisbon. A messenger was commanded to discover the state of the 
French fortifications. On the ground of his report, orders were 
despatched to Mem de Sa Barreto, governor of the colony, and 
resident at San Salvador, to attack and expel the intruders who 
remained. Having fitted out two vessels-of-war and several mer- 
chantmen, the governor, taking the command in person, embarked, 
accompanied by ISTobrega as his prime counsellor. They appeared 
off the bar at Bio early in 1560, with the intention of surprising 
the island at the dead of night. Being espied by the sentinels, 
their plan was foiled. The French immediately made ready for 
defence, forsook their ships, and, with eight hundred native archers, 
retired to their forts. 

With reinforcements from St. Yincente, Mem de Sa won the land- 
ing-place, and, routing the French from their most important holds, 
so intimidated them that, under cover of the night, they fled, some 
to their ships and some to the mainland. 



Defeat of the French. 57 

The Portuguese, not being strong enough to keep the position 
they had taken, demolished the works, and carried off the artillery 
and stores which they found. A short time after this, new wars, 
made by the native tribes, broke out against them, and were prose- 
cuted at different points with great ferocity for several years. In 
the mean time, the French recovered strength and influence. Pre- 
parations were again made to extirpate them. A party of Portu- 
guese and friendly Indians, under the command of a Jesuit appointed 
by Nobrega, landed near the base of the Sugar-Loaf, and, taking a 
position now known as Praia Yermelha, maintained a series of 
indecisive skirmishes with their enemies for more than a year. 
Occasionally, when successful, they would sing in triumphant hope 
a verse from the Scriptures, saying, " The bows of the mighty are 
broken," &c. Well might they call the bows of the Tamoyos 
mighty; for an arrow sent by one of them would fasten a shield to 
the arm that held it, and sometimes would pass through the body, 
and continue its way with such force as to pierce a tree and hang 
quivering in the trunk. 

Nobrega at length came to the camp, and at his summons Mem 
de Sa again appeared with all the succors he could raise at San 
Salvador. All was made ready, and the attack deferred forty-eight 
hours, in order to take place on St. Sebastian's Day. The auspicious 
morning came, — that of January 20, 1567. The stronghold of the 
French was stormed. Not one of the Tamoyos escaped. 

Southey most justly remarks, never was a war in which so little 
exertion had been made, and so little force employed on both sides, 
attended by consequences so important. The French court was too 
busy in burning and massacring Huguenots to think of Brazil, and 
Coligny, after his generous plans had been ruined by the villanous 
treachery of Yillegagnon, no longer regarded the colony : the day 
for emigration from his country was over, and they who should 
have colonized Eio de Janeiro were bearing arms against a bloody 
and implacable enemy, in defence of every thing dear to man. 
Portugal was almost as inattentive to Brazil; so that, few and 
unaided as were the Antarctic French, had Mem de Sa been less 
earnest in his duty, or Nobrega less able and less indefatigable in 
his opposition, the former would have retained their place, and 
perhaps the entire country have this day been French. 



58 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Immediately after his victory, the governor, conformable to his 
instructions, traced out a new city, which he named San Sebastian, 
in honor of the saint under whose patronage the field was won, and 
also of the king of the mother-country. The name of San Sebas- 
tian has been supplanted by that of Eio de Janeiro. 

In connection with the event just narrated, there remains on 
record a melancholy proof of the cruelty and intolerance of the 
victors, According to the annals of the Jesuits, Mem de Sa stained 
the foundations of the city with innocent blood. " Among the 
Huguenots who had been compelled to fly from Yillegagnon's per- 
secution was one John Boles, a man of considerable learning, being 
well versed both in Greek and Hebrew. Luiz de Gram caused him 
to be apprehended, with three of his comrades, one of whom feigned 
to become a Eoman Catholic; the others were cast into prison; and 
there Boles had remained eight years, when he was sent for to be 
martyred at Bio de Janeiro, for the sake of terrifying his country- 
men, if any should be lurking in those parts." 

The Jesuits are the only historians of this matter. They pre- 
tend that Boles apostatized, having been convinced of his errors 
by Anchieta, a priest greatly celebrated in the annals of Brazil. 
But, by their own story, it is not very probable that a man who 
for eight long years had steadfastly refused to renounce the religion 
of his conviction would now yield. Boles doubtless proved a stub- 
born unbending Protestant, and for this suffered a cruel death. 
And, notwithstanding the statement that he was to be slain as an 
example to his countrymen, " if any should be found lurking in 
those parts/' it was not the custom of Borne to put to death those 
who renounced their errors and came into her protecting fold. 

When Boles was brought out to the place of execution, and the 
executioner bungled in his bloody office, " Anchieta hastily inter- 
fered, and instructed him how to despatch a heretic as speedily as 
possible, — fearing, it is said, lest he should become impatient, being 
an obstinate man, and newly reclaimed, and that thus his soul 
would be lost. The priest who in any way accelerates the execu- 
tion of death is thereby suspended from his office ; but the biogra- 
pher of Anchieta enumerates this as one of the virtuous actions of 
his life." 

Though Bio de Janeiro was thus founded in blood, there is no 



Reflections. 59 

Roman Catholic country in the world freer from bigotry and in- 
tolerence than the Empire of Brazil. 

Thus failed the establishment of Coligny's colony, upon which 
the hopes of Protestant Europe had for a short time been concen- 
trated ; and Eio de Janeiro will ever be memorable as the first spot 
in the Western hemisphere where the banner of the Reformed 
religion was unfurled. It is true that the attempt was made upon 
territory which had been appropriated by Portugal; still, a question 
might arise as to the right of priority in the discovery of this por- 
tion of Brazil, for it is certain that the Spaniard, De Solis, and also 
Majellan, Ruy Faleiro, and Diogo Garcia, Portuguese navigators in 
the service of Spain, entered the Bay of Nitherohy long before 
Martin Affonso de Souza. In whatever way this may be settled, 
the fact of the failure of this Huguenot effort is full of food for 
reflection; and we can fully sympathize with the remarks of the 
author of " Brazil and La Plata," in regard to the treachery of 
Villegagnon, and the consequent defeat of the aims of the first 
French colonists: — 

"With the remembrance of this failure in establishing the Re- 
formed religion here, and of the direct cause which led to it, I 
often find myself speculating as to the possible and probable results 
which would have followed the successful establishment of Protest- 
antism during the three hundred years that have since intervened. 
With the wealth, and power, and increasing prosperity of the United 
States before us, as the fruits at the end of two hundred years' 
colonization of a few feeble bands of Protestants on the compara- 
tively bleak and barren shore of the Northern continent, there is 
no presumption in the belief that had a people of similar faith, 
similar morals, similar habits of industry and enterprise, gained 
an abiding footing in so genial a climate and on a soil so exuberant, 
long ago the still unexplored and impenetrable wilderness of the 
interior would have bloomed and blossomed in civilization as the 
rose, and Brazil from the sea-coast to the Andes would have become 
one of the gardens of the world. But the germ which might have 
led to this was crushed by the bad faith and malice of Yillegagnon ; 
and, as I look on the spot which bears his name, and, in the eyes of 
a Protestant at least, perpetuates his reproach, the two or three 
solitary palms which lift their tufted heads above the embattled 



60 



Brazil and tiie Brazilians. 



walls, and furnish the only evidence of vegetation on the island, 
seem, instead of plumed warriors in the midst of their defences, 
like sentinels of grief mourning the blighted hopes of the long 
past." 



tiHb 




FORTRESS AND ISLAND OF VILLEGAGNON. 

But we should not look too "mournfully into the past;" for 
though, in the mysterious dealings of Providence no Protestant 
nation, with its attendant vigor and progress, sways it over that 
fertile and salubrious land, may we not to a certain extent legiti- 
mately consider the tolerant and fit Constitution of the Empire, 
and its good government, the general material prosperity, and the 
advancement of the Brazilians in every point of view far beyond 
all other South American nations, as an answer to the faithful 
prayers with which those pious Huguenots baptized Brazil more 
than three centuries ago? 



Note for 1S66. — The present Emperor has certainly shown himself a friend 
of toleration. He has aided in the construction of Protestant chapels for 
colonists; the Government promptly suppressed three riots attempted against 
Brazilian Protestants, (at Rio de Janeiro, at Bahia, and at Praia Grande;) and 
other acts might be cited to demonstrate that we have true cause for gratitude 
at the position of religious toleration in Brazil. But Brazilian legislation should 
go one step further, and admit to the Parliament all fit men, of whatever 
religious denomination. Then Brazil will be abreast with the nineteenth century. 



CHAPTER IV. 

EABLY STATE OF BIO — ATTACKS OF THE FRENCH — IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE 

VICEROYS ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF PORTUGAL RAPID POLITICAL 

CHANGES — DEPARTURE OF DOM JOHN VI. — THE VICEROYALTY IN THE HANDS 
OF DOM PEDRO BRAZILIANS DISSATISFIED WITH THE MOTHER-COUNTRY DE- 
CLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO AS EMPEROR. 

For one hundred and forty years after its foundation, the city 
of San Sebastian enjoyed a state of tranquil prosperity. This 
quietness was in happy contrast with the turbulent spirit of the 
age, and especially with the condition of the principal towns and 
colonies of Brazil ; nearly all of which, during the period referred 
to, had been attacked by either the English, the Dutch, or the 
French. In this interval the population and commerce of the place 
greatly increased. 

At the commencement of the eighteenth century the principal 
gold-mines of the interior were discovered by the Paulistas, the 
inhabitants of San Paulo. These gave the name of Minas Geraes 
{General Mines) to a large inland province, which became then, 
as it still remains, tributary to the port of Eio de Janeiro. Gold- 
digging was found to produce here effects similar to those which 
resulted from it in the Spanish countries. Agriculture was nearly 
abandoned, the price of slaves — who had been early introduced — 
became enormous, and the general prosperity of the country retro- 
graded; while every one who could rushed to the mines, in hope 
of speedily enriching himself. We even find that the curious and 
abnormal condition of California in 1848 had its counterpart three 
centuries ago in Brazil. 

Even the Governor of Rio, forgetful of his official character and 

obligations, went to Minas Geraes and engaged with avidity in the 

search for treasure. The fame of these golden discoveries sounded 

61 



62 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

abroad, and awakened the cupidity of the French, who, in 1710, 
sont a squadron, commanded by M. Du Clerc, with the intent of 
capturing Eio. The whole expedition was ingloriously defeated 
by the Portuguese, under Francisco de Castro, Governor of Eio 
de Janeiro. This officer possessed no military ability, but blun- 
dered into a victory over tho French, and permitted horrid 
cruelties to be practised upon the prisoners. Franco was not 
slow to resent the inhumanity with which her men had been 
treated. 

M. Duguay Trouin, one of the ablest naval officers of the times, 
sought permission to revenge his countrymen and to plunder Eio 
do Janeiro. Individuals were found ready to incur the expenses 
of the outfit, in prospect of tho speculation. The project was 
approved by Government, and an immense naval force was placed 
at Trouin's disposal. 

This expedition was eminently successful. The tactics of the 
imbecile Castro did not succeed : the city was stormed, taken, and 
afterward ransomed for a heavy sum. It was during the bombard- 
ment that the convent of San Bento was battered by the balls, the 
marks of which are still visible. 

The plunder and the ransom were so great, that, notwithstand- 
ing, on the return-voyage of tho French, a number of their vessels 
went down with twelve hundred men and the most valuable part 
of the booty, there remained to the adventurers a profit of ninety- 
two per cent, upon the capital they had risked in the outfit. 

From the time that Duguay Trouin's squadron weighed anchor 
on their homeward voyage, no hostile fleet has ever entered the 
harbor of Eio de Janeiro. Great changes, however, have taken 
place in the condition of that city. 

In 1763 it superseded Bahia as the seat of government, and 
became the residence of the viceroys of Portugal. 

The more substantial improvements of the capital were under- 
taken at this period. The marshes, which covered a considerable 
portion of the spot where the town now stands, were drained and 
diked. The streets were paved and lighted. Cargoes of African 
slaves, who had hitherto been exposed in the streets for sale, 
exhibiting scenes of disgust and horror, and also exposing the 
inhabitants to the worst of diseases, were now ordered to be 



Improvements under the Viceroys. 



63 



removed to the Vallongo, which was designated as a general 

market for these unhappy beings. . 

Fountains of running water were also multiplied. The great 
aqueduct which spans the Eua dos Arcos was then constructed; 
and in these and various other ways, the health, comfort, and 
prosperity of the city were promoted under the successive adminis- 
trations of the Count da Cunha, the Marquis of Lavradio, and Luiz 
de Yaseoncellos 




GREAT AQUEDUCT— RUA DOS ARCOS. 



The system of government maintained during these periods 
throughout Brazil was absolute in the extreme, and by no means 
calculated to develop the great resources of the country. .Never- 
theless, it was anticipated by the more enlightened statesmen of 
Portugal that the colony would some day eclipse the glory of 
the mother-country. None, however, could foresee the proximity 
of those events which were about to drive the royal family (the 
house of Braganza) to seek an asylum in the New World, and to 



64 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

establish their court at Bio de Janeiro. The close of the eighteenth 
century witnessed their development. 

The French Eevolution and the leading spirit which was raised 
up by it involved the slumbering kingdom of Portugal in the 
troubles of the Continent. Napoleon determined that the court 
of Lisbon should declare itself against its ancient ally, England, 
and assent to the Continental system adopted by the Imperial ruler 
of France. The Prince-Eegent, Dom John VI., promised, but hesi- 
tated, delayed, and finally, too late, declared war against England. 
The vacillation of the Prince-Eegent hastened events to a crisis. 
The English fleet, under Sir Sidney Smith, established a most 
rigorous blockade at the mouth of the Tagus, and the British 
ambassador left no other alternative to Bom John VI. than to 
surrender to England the Portuguese fleet, or to avail himself 
of the British squadron for the protection and transportation of 
the royal family to Brazil. The moment was critical : the army 
of Napoleon had penetrated the mountains of Beira; only an 
immediate departure would save the monarchy. No resource re- 
mained to the Prince-Eegent but to choose between a tottering 
throne in Europe and a vast empire in America. His indecisions 
were at an end. By a royal decree he announced his intention to 
retire to Eio de Janeiro until the conclusion of a general peace. 
The archives, the treasures, and the most precious effects of the 
crown, were transferred to the Portuguese and English fleets ; and, 
on the 29th of November, 1807, accompanied by his family and a 
multitude of faithful followers, the Prince-Eegent took his de- 
parture amid the combined salvos of the cannon of Great Britain 
and of Portugal. That very day Marshal Junot thundered upon the 
heights of Lisbon, and the next morning took possession of the 
city. Early in January, 1808, the news of these surprising events 
reached Eio de Janeiro, and excited the most lively interest. 

What the Brazilians had dreamed of only as a remote possible 
event was now suddenly to be realized. The royal family might 
be expected to arrive any day, and preparations for their reception 
occupied the attention of all. The Viceroy's palace was imme- 
diately prepared, and all the public offices in the Palace Square 
were vacated to accommodate the royal suite. These not beiDg 
deemed sufficient, proprietors of private houses in the neighborhood 



Arrival cf the Royal Family. 65 

were required to leave their residences and send in their keys to 
the Viceroy. 

Such were the sentiments of the people respecting the hospi- 
tality due to their distinguished guests, that nothing seems to 
have been withheld; while many, even of the less opulent families, 
voluntarily offered sums of money and objects of value to administer 
to their comfort. 

The fleet having been scattered in a storm, the principal vessels 
had put into Bahia, where Dom John VI. gave that carta regia 
which opened the ports of Brazil to the commerce of the world. 
At length all made a safe entry into the harbor of Eio, on the 7th 
of March, 1808. In the manifestations of joy upon this occasion, 
the houses were deserted and the hills were covered with spec- 
tators. Those who could procured boats and sailed out to meet 
the royal squadron. The prince, immediately after landing, pro- 
ceeded to the cathedral, and publicly offered thanks for his safe 
arrival. The city was illuminated for nine successive evenings. 

In order to form an idea of the changes that have occurred in 
Brazil during the last fifty years, it must be remarked, that, up to 
the period now under consideration, all commerce and intercourse 
with foreigners had been rigidly prohibited by the narrow policy 
of Portugal. Vessels of nations allied to the mother-country were 
occasionally permitted to come to anchor in the ports of this mam- 
moth colony; but neither passengers nor crew were allowed to 
land excepting under the superintendence of a guard of soldiers. 
The policy pursued by China and Japan was scarcely more strict 
and prohibitory. 

To prevent all possibility of trade, foreign vessels — whether they 
had put in to repair damages or to procure provisions and water — 
immediately on their arrival were invested with a custom-house 
guard, and the time for their remaining was fixed by the authori- 
ties according to the supposed necessities of the case. As a conse- 
quence of these oppressive regulations, a people who were rich m 
gold and diamonds were unable to procure the essential implements 
of agriculture and of domestic convenience. A wealthy planter, 
who could display the most rich and massive plate at a festival, 
might not be able to furnish each of his guests with a knife at 
table. A single tumbler at the same time might be under the 



66 Brazil and the Brazilian. 

necessity of making repeated circuits through the company. The 
printing-press had not made its appearance. Books and learning 
were equally rare. The people were in every way made to feel 
their dependence ; and the spirit of industry and enterprise were 
alike unknown. 

On the arrival of the Prince-Regent the ports were thrown open. 
A printing-press was introduced, and a Eoyal Gazette was pub- 
lished. Academies of medicine and the fine arts were established. 
The Royal Library, containing sixty thousand volumes of books, 
was opened for the free use of the public. Foreigners were in- 
vited, and embassies from England and France took up their 
residence at Rio de Janeiro. 

From this period, decided improvements were made in the con- 
dition and aspect of the city. New streets and squares were 
added, and splendid residences were arranged on the neighboring 
islands and hills, augmenting, with the growth of the town, the 
picturesque beauties of the surrounding scenery. The sudden and 
continued influx of Portuguese and foreigners not only showed 
itself in the population of Rio, but extended inland, causing new 
ways of communication to be opened with the interior, new towns 
to be erected, and old ones to be improved. In fact, the whole 
face of the country underwent great and rapid changes. 

The manners of the people also experienced a corresponding 
mutation. The fashions of Europe were introduced. From the 
seclusion and restraints of non-intercourse the people emerged into 
the festive ceremonies of a court, whose levees and gala-days drew 
together multitudes from all directions. In the mingled society 
which the capital now offered, the dust of retirement was brushed 
off, antiquated customs gave way, new ideas and modes of life 
were adopted, and these spread from circle to circle and from 
town to town. 

Business assumed an aspect equally changed. Foreign com- 
mercial houses were opened, and foreign artisans established them- 
selves in Rio and other cities. 

This country could no longer remain a colony. A decree was 
promulgated in December, 1815, declaring it elevated to the dig- 
nity of a kingdom, and hereafter to form an integral part of the 
United Kingdom of Portugal, Algarves, and Brazil. It is scarcely 



Rapid Political Changes. 67 

possible to imagine the enthusiasm awakened by this unlooked-for 
change throughout the vast extent of Portuguese America. Mes- 
sengers were despatched to bear the news, which was hailed with 
spontaneous illuminations from the La Plata to the Amazon. 
Scarcely was this event consummated when the queen, Donna 
Maria I., died. 

She was mother to the Prince-Kegent, and had been for years in 
a state of mental imbecility, so that her death had no influence 
upon political affairs. Her funeral obsequies were performed with 
great splendor ; and her son, in respect for her memory, delayed 
the acclamation of his accession to the throne for a year. He was 
at length crowned, with the title of Dom John VI. The cere- 
monies of the coronation were celebrated with suitable magnifi- 
cence in the Palace Square, on the 5th of February, 1818. 

Amid all the advantages attendant upon the new state of things 
in Brazil, there were many circumstances calculated to provoke 
political discontent. It was then that bitter feelings toward the 
natives of Portugal sprang up, which, though modified, still exist 
throughout the Empire, and made, at a later date, the severance 
of Brazil from the mother-country more easy of accomplishment 
than the separation of the thirteen colonies of North America from 
the crown of Great Britain. There had always been, to a greater 
or less extent, a certain rivalry between the native Brazilian and 
the Portuguese ; but now it found a new cause of excitement. The 
Government felt itself bound to find places for the more than 
twenty thousand needy and unprincipled adventurers who had 
followed the royal family to the New World. These men cared 
very little for the welfare of Brazil, either in the administration 
of justice or in acts for the benefit of the public. Their greatest 
interest by far was manifested in the eager desire to fleece the 
country and enrich themselves. Honors were heaped upon those 
Brazilians who had furnished house and money to the Prince- 
Kegent; and, as he had nothing to give them but decorations, he 
was soon surrounded by knights who had never displayed either 
chivalry or learning. The excitement thus aroused in a country 
where titulary distinctions were hitherto almost unknown was 
intense. Every one aspired to become a cavalheiro or a com- 
mendador, and the most degrading sycophancy was practised to 



68 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

obtain the royal favor. Men who had been good traders in im- 
ported articles, or successful dealers in mandioca and coffee, once 
knighted, could never again return to the drudgery and debasing 
associations of commercial life, and must live either on previously- 
acquired fortunes or seek Government employment. 

On this ground the native Brazilians and the newly-arrived 
Portuguese fought their first battles. They were rivals for place, 
and, once in office, the Brazilian was as open to every species of 
bribery and corruption as the most venal hanger-on of the court 
from Lisbon. The Brazilians, however, had one advantage over 
their adversaries. The natives sympathized most fully with their 
recently -knighted brethren, and listened to their complaints with 
a willing ear. These things, together with the wretched state of 
morals that prevailed at the court, were calculated to increase the 
jealousy of what the Brazilians considered a foreign dominion 
over them. The independence of the English North American 
colonies and the successful revolutionary struggle of some of the 
neighboring Spanish-American provinces still more augmented the 
uneasiness of the people ; and a consciousness of this increasing 
discontent, and a fear that Brazil might be induced to follow the 
example of her revolting Spanish neighbors, doubtless had a 
powerful influence upon the Government in making the con- 
cessions named. 

Tranquillity followed the erection of Brazil into a constituent 
portion of the kingdom; but it was of short duration. Discontent 
was at work. The intended revolt at Pernambuco in 1817 was 
betrayed to the Government, and the insurgents were prematurely 
compelled to take up arms, and suffered defeat from the troops 
sent against them by the Count dos Arcos. From this time there 
seems to have been a systematic exclusion of native Brazilians 
from commands in the army. 

Murmurs were gradually disseminated ; but they found no echo — 
as in the case of the North American colonies — from the press, 
which had, with common schools, followed in the immediate wake 
of the English colonists. The first, and at that time the only, 
printing-press in the country, was brought from Lisbon in 1808, 
and was under the direct control of the royal authorities. Its 
columns faithfully recorded for the Brazilian public the health of 



Depakture of D. John VI. 69 

all the European princes. It was filled with official edicts, birth- 
day odes, and panegyrics on the royal family; but its pages were 
unsullied by the ebullitions of the democracy, or the exposure of 
their grievances. As has been well said by Armitage, " to have 
judged of the country by the tone of its only journal, it must have 
been pronounced a terrestrial paradise, where no word of com- 
plaint had ever yet found utterance/' 

But at length the time arrived when the monotony of the Court 
Gazette was interrupted, and the people soon found voices for 
their grievances, and in the end substantial redress. 

The revolution which occurred in Portugal in 1821, in favor of a 
Constitution, was immediately responded to by a similar one in 
Brazil. 

After much, excitement and alarm from the tumultuous move- 
ments of the people, the King, D. John VI., conferred upon his son 
Dom Pedro, Prince-Eoyal, the office of Eegent and Lieutenant to 
His Majesty in the Kingdom of Brazil. He then hastened his de- 
parture for Portugal, accompanied by the remainder of his family 
and the principal nobility who had followed him. The disheartened 
monarch embarked on board a line-of-battle ship on the 24th of 
April, 1821, leaving the widest and fairest portion of his dominions 
to a destiny not indeed unlooked for by his majesty, but which 
was fulfilled much sooner than his melancholy forebodings antici- 
pated.* 

Eapid as had been the political changes in Brazil during the last 
ten years, greater changes still were about to take place. Dom 
Pedro, who now enjoyed the dignity and attributes of Prince- 
Eegent and Lieutenant of His Majesty the King of Portugal, was 
at this period in the twenty-third year of his age. He possessed 
many of the essentials of popularity. His personal beauty was 
not less marked than his frank and affable manners, and his dispo- 
sition, though capricious, was enthusiastic. He had decision of 
character, and was one who seemed to know when to seize the 



* Just as the vessel was ready to sail, the old king pressed his son to his bosom 
for the last time, and exclaimed, "Pedro, Brazil will, I fear, ere long separate 
herself from Portugal ; and if so, place the crown on thine own head rather than 
allow it to fall into the hands of any adventurer." 



70 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

proper moment for calming the populace, as when at Bio, while 
the King was in the Palace of San Christovao, only three miles 
away, he, upon his own authority, gave to the people and the 
troops a decree whereby an unreserved acceptance of the future 
Constitution of the Portuguese Cortes was guaranteed. He also 
knew well how to guard his prerogative. The Prince's consort 
was by lineage and talent worthy of his hand, for Leopoldina was 
an archduchess of Austria; in her veins coursed the blood of 
Maria Theresa, and it was her sister Maria Louisa who was the 
bride of Napoleon. She was not possessed of great personal 
beauty, yet her kindness of heart and her unpretentious bearing 
endeared her to every one who knew her. 

Dom Pedro had left Portugal when a mere lad, and it was 
believed that his highest aspirations were associated with the land 
of his adoption. In the office of Prince-Begent he certainly found 
scope for his most ardent ambition; but he also discovered himself 
to be surrounded with numerous difficulties, political and financial. 
So embarrassing indeed was his situation, that in the course of a 
few months he begged his father to allow him to resign his office 
and attributes. The Cortes of Portugal about this time becoming 
jealous of the position of the Prince in Brazil, passed a decree 
ordering him to return to Europe, and at the same time abolishing 
the royal tribunals at Bio. This decree was received with indig- 
nation by the Brazilians, who immediately rallied around Dom 
Pedro, and persuaded him to remain among them. His consent to 
do so gave rise to the most enthusiastic demonstrations of joy 
among both patriots and loyalists. The Portuguese military soon 
evinced symptoms of mutiny. 

A conflict seemed inevitable; but the Portuguese commander 
vacillated in view of the determined opposition manifested by the 
people, who flew to arms, and offered to capitulate on the condition 
of his soldiers retaining their arms. This was conceded, on their 
agreeing to retire to Praia Grande, a city on the opposite side of 
the bay, until transports could be provided for their embarkation 
to Lisbon; which was subsequently effected. The measures of the 
Cortes of Portugal, which continued to be arbitrary in the extreme 
toward Brazil, finally had the effect to hasten, in the latter country, 
a declaration of absolute independence. This measure had long 



Declaration of Independence. 71 

been ardently desired by the more enlightened Brazilians, some of 
whom had already urged Dom Pedro to assume the title of Emperor. 
Hitherto he had refused, and reiterated his allegiance to Portugal. 
But he at length, while on a journey to the province of S. Paulo, 
received despatches from the mother-country, which had the effect 
of cutting short all delay, and caused him to declare for independ- 
ence in a manner so decided and explicit that henceforward all 
retrograde measures would be utterly impracticable. 

On the 7th of September, 1822, when he read the despatches, he 
was surrounded by his courtiers, on those beautiful campinas in 
sight of San Paulo, a city which had ever been, as it is now, cele- 
brated in Brazil for the liberality and intelligence of its inhabitants. 
It was then, on the margin of an insignificant stream, — the 
Ypiranga, — that he made that exclamation, "Independencia ou morte," 
(Independence or death,) which became the watchword of the Bra- 
zilian Kevolution; and from the 7th of September, 1822, the inde- 
pendence of the' country has since held its official date. It has 
been truly said that in the eyes of the civilized world it was a 
memorable circumstance, and must ever form an epoch in the 
history of the Western continent. 

It was indeed a great event, which has led to vast results. It 
was a grand revolution, begun by one whose very birth and position 
would have led the contemplative philosopher or statesman to 
pronounce it impossible that he should become the leader of a 
popular cause. It was the descendant of a long line of European 
monarchs who inaugurated that movement which severed the last 
— the most faithful — of the great divisions of South America from 
transatlantic rule. 

The Prince-Eegent hastened to Eio de Janeiro by a rapid journey; 
and there, so soon as his determination was known, the enthusiasm 
in his favor knew no bounds. 

The municipality of the capital issued a proclamation on the 21st 
of September, declaring their intention to fulfil the manifest wishes 
of the people, by proclaiming Dom Pedro the constitutional Emperor 
and perpetual defender of Brazil. This ceremony was performed 
on the 12th of October following, in the Campo de Santa Anna, in 
the presence of the municipal authorities, the functionaries of the 
court, the troops, and an immense concourse of people. His High- 



7.2 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ness there publicly declared his acceptance of the title conferred on 
him, from the conviction that he was thus obeying the will of the 
people. The troops fired a salute, and the city was illuminated in 
the evening. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada, prime minister of the 
Government, had in the mean time promulgated a decree, requiring 
all the Portuguese who were disposed to embrace the popular cause 
to manifest their sentiments by wearing the Emperor's motto — 
"Independencia ou morte" — upon their arm, ordering also, that all 
dissentients should leave the country within a given period, and 
threatening the penalties imposed upon high-treason against any 
one who should thenceforward attack, by word or deed, the sacred 
cause of Brazil. 

The prime minister was the eldest of three brothers, all of them 
remarkable for their talents, learning, eloquence, and (though at 
times factious) for their sterling patriotism. They were unin- 
fluenced by either the adulation of the populace or the favor of the 
Emperor. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada combined, to an eminent 
degree, the various excellencies suited to the emergencies of the 
incipient stages of the Empire. 

The Brazilian Revolution was comparatively a bloodless one. 
The glory of Portugal was already waning; her resources were 
exhausted, and her energies crippled by internal dissensions. 

That nation made nothing like a systematic and persevering 
effort to maintain her ascendency over her long-depressed but now 
rebellious colony. The insulting measures of the Cortes were con- 
summated only in their vaporing decrees. The Portuguese domi- 
nion was maintained for some time in Bahia and other ports, which 
had been occupied by military forces. But these forces were at 
length compelled to withdraw and leave Brazil to her own control. 
So little contested, indeed, and so rapid, was this revolution, that in 
less than three years from the time independence was declared on 
the plains of the Ypiranga, Brazil was acknowledged to be inde- 
pendent at the court of Lisbon. In the mean time the Emperor 
had been crowned as Dom Pedro I., and an assembly of delegates 
from the provinces had been convoked for the formation of a 
Constitution. 




ARMS OF THE BRAZILIAN EMPIRE. 



CHAPTEB Y. 

THE ANDRADAS — INSTRUCTIONS OF THE EMPEROR TO THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY — 
DOM PEDRO I. DISSOLVES THE ASSEMBLY BY FORCE — CONSTITUTION FRAMED BY 
A SPECIAL COMMISSION — CONSIDERATIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT — THE RULE OP 
DOM PEDRO I. — CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION — THE EMFEROR ABDICATES IN FAVOR 
OF DOM PEDRO II. 

The new state of affairs did not, however, proceed with either 
smoothness or velocity. Political bitterness, jealousy, and strife 
were at work. The Andrada ministry* were accused of being 
arbitrary and tyrannical. Brazil owed her independence, and Dom 
Pedro I. his crown, chiefly to their exertions; yet their administra- 
tions cannot by any means be exempted from censure. Their 
views were certainly comprehensive, and their intentions patriotic; 
but their impatient and ambitious spirit rendered them, when in 
power, intolerant to their political opponents. They were assailed 
with great energy, aud finally compelled to resign; but such were 
the tumults of the people, and the violent partisan exertions in 
their favor, that they were reinstated, and Jose Bonifacio was 
drawn in his carriage by the populace through the streets of Bio 
de Janeiro. Eight months afterward a combination of all parties 



* Jose" Bonifacio was prime minister, and Martin Francisco de Andrada was at 
the head of the Finance Department. 

73 



74 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

again effected the ejection of the brothers Andrada from the 
ministry, but not from power.- They became the most factious 
opponents of the Emperor and of the ministry which succeeded 
theirs. They were unmitigated in their attacks, both in the 
Assembly and through the press. 

The Constituent Assembly had done little besides wrangling. 
The members were mostly men of narrow views and of little 
ability; hence it was that the Andradas, by their eloquence and 
knowledge of parliamentary tactics, had such power over their 
minds. The Emperor, with great good sense, had, in opening the 
sessions, told the Assembly that the recent " Constitutions founded 
on the models of those of 1791 and 1792 had been acknowledged 
as too abstract and too metaphysical for execution. This has been 
proved by the example of France, and more recently by that of 
Spain and Portugal." His Imperial Majesty seems to have had a 
high standard of constitutional excellence, and one which we would 
have deemed it difficult, and perhaps impossible, for the Brazilian 
people to have reached. "We have need," he said in his address 
from the throne, " of a Constitution where the powers may be so 
divided and denned, that no one branch can arrogate to itself the 
prerogatives of another; a Constitution which may be an insur- 
mountable barrier against all invasion of the royal authority, 
whether aristocratic or popular; which will overthrow anarchy, 
and cherish the tree of liberty; beneath whose shade we shall see 
the union and the independence of this Empire nourish. In a word, 
a Constitution that will excite the admiration of other nations, and 
even of our enemies, who will consecrate the triumph of our prin- 
ciples in adopting them." (From the Falla do Throno, 3d May, 
1823.) 

Notwithstanding those instructions, the Constituent Assembly 
made no progress in forming a document from which such grand 
results were to flow as those depicted by the Emperor. The 
Andradas continued their opposition to various measures brought 
forward by the Government. His Majesty was irritated by their 
continual thrusts at the Portuguese incorporated in the Brazilian 
army. An outrage committed by two Portuguese officers upon the 
supposed author of an attack upon them was, in the excited state 
of public feeling, magnified into an outrage on the nation. The 



D. Pedro I. Dissolves the Assembly. 75 

sufferer demanded justice from the House of Deputies, and the 
Andradas most loudly demanded vengeance on the Portuguese 
aggressors. The journal under their control, called the " Tamoyo," 
(from a tribe of Indians who were the bitter foes of the early Por- 
tuguese settlers,) was equally violent. It even went so far as to 
insinuate that if the Government did not turn aside from its anti- 
national course, its power would be of short continuance, and, as a 
warning to the Emperor, the example of Charles I. of England was 
alluded to in no unmeaning terms. 

But Dom Pedro I. was no weak and vacillating Stuart. He pos- 
sessed more of the spirit of Oliver Cromwell or of the First Na- 
poleon. The Assembly, through the three brothers, was induced 
to declare itself in permanent session. The Emperor, finding that 
they (the Andradas) still maintained their predominance, mounted 
on horseback, and, at the head of his cavalry, marched to the 
Chamber, planted his cannon before its walls, and sent up General 
Moraes to the Assembly to order its instantaneous dissolution. 

The Assembly was broken up. The three Andradas were seized, as 
well as the Deputies Eocha and Montezuma, and were, without trial 
or examination, transported to France. Thus ended, for a brief 
period at least, the political career of the eloquent, patriotic, and 
factious Andradas. 

The Emperor issued a proclamation, stating that he had taken 
the measures recounted above, solely with the view of avoiding 
anarchy; and the public were reminded that " though the Emperor 
had, from regard to the tranquillity of the Empire, thought fit to 
dissolve the said Assembly, he had in the same decree convoked 
another, in conformity with the acknowledged constitutional rights 
of his people." 

A special commission of ten individuals was convened on the 
26th of November, 1823, for the purpose of forming such a Con- 
stitution as might meet with the Imperial approval. The members 
of this commission immediately commenced their labors under the 
personal superintendence of D. Pedro I., who furnished them the 
bases of the document which he wished to be framed, and gave 
them forty days for the accomplishment of the object. 

The ten councillors, as a body, were badly qualified for the im- 
portant task before them; yet several of their number were noted 



76 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

for the excellence of their private characters, and two only for 
their erudition. One of these two, Carneiro de Campos, was for- 
tunately intrusted with the drawing up of the Constitution, and 
to him it has been said Brazil is principally indebted for a number 
of the most liberal provisions of the code, — provisions which he 
insisted on introducing in opposition to the wishes of many of his 
colleagues. 

It is evident that the drafting-committee of ten could not foresee 
how liberal were the provisions of this Constitution, for most of 
them were staunch royalists; yet various providential circum- 
stances conduced to the production of a just and liberal instrument 
of government. [See Appendix B.] 

Its most important features may be stated in a few words. The 
government of the Empire is monarchical, hereditary, constitutional, 
and representative. The religion of the State is the Boman Ca- 
tholic, but all other denominations are tolerated. Judicial pro- 
ceedings are public, and there is the right of habeas corpus and 
trial by jury. The legislative power is in the General Assembly, 
which answers to the Imperial Parliament of England or to the 
Congress of the United States. The senators are elected for life, 
and the representatives for four years. The presidents of the 
provinces are appointed by the Emperor. There is a legislative 
Assembly to each province for local laws, taxation, and government : 
thus, Brazil is a decentralized Empire. The senators and representa- 
tives of the General Assembly are chosen through the intervention 
of electors, as is the President of the United States, and the pro- 
vincial legislators are elected by universal suffrage. The press is 
free, and there is no proscription on account of color. 

The Constitution thus framed was accepted by the Emperor, and 
on the 25th of March, 1824, was sworn to by his Imperial High- 
ness, and by the authorities and people throughout the Empire. It 
is an instrument truly remarkable, considering the source whence 
it emanated, and we cannot continue the subsequent history of 
the country without devoting to its merits a few passing reflections. 
'This Constitution commenced by being the most liberal of all 
other similar documents placed before a South American people. In 
its wise and tolerant notions, and in its adaptation to the nation for 
which it was prepared, it is second only to that which governs the 



The Brazilian Constitution. 77 

Inglo-Saxon Confederacy of North America. States and indi- 
viduals may utter, in their charters of government, fine sentences 
in regard to equality and right : but if they fail in practicability 
and in securing those very elements of justice, stability, and pro- 
gress, the eloquent jmrases are but "as sounding brass or a tinkling 
cymbal." The Brazilian Constitution has, to a great extent, secured 
equality, justice, and consequently national prosperity. She is 
to-day governed by the same Constitution with which more than 
thirty years ago she commenced her full career as a nation. While 
every Spanish-American Government has been the scene of bloody 
revolutions, — while the civilized world has looked with horror, 
wonder, and pity upon the self-constituted bill of the people's 
rights again and again trampled under foot by turbulent faction 
and priestly bigotry, or by the tyranny of the most narrow-minded 
dictators, — the only Portuguese-American Government (though it 
has had its provincial revolts of a short duration) has beheld but 
two revolutions, and those were peaceful, — one fully in accordance 
with the Constitution;* the other, the proclamation of the ma- 
jority of Dom Pedro II., was by suspending a single article of the 
Government compact. 

--Mexico, which, in extent of territory, population, and resources, 
is more properly comparable to Brazil than any other Hispano- 
American country, established her first Constitution only one 
month (February, 1824) earlier than the adoption of the Brazilian 
charter of government and rights. But poor Mexico has been the 
prey of every unscrupulous demagogue who could for the moment 
command the army. Her Constitution has repeatedly been over- 
thrown j the victorious soldiery of a hardier nation placed her at 
the mercy of a foreign cabinet; her dominion has been despoiled ; 
her commerce crippled and diminished by her own inertness and 
narrow policy; personal security and national prosperity are 
unknown, and her people are this day no further advanced than 
when the Constitution was first set aside in 1835. 

Brazil, on the other hand, has been continually progressing. 
The head of the Empire is in the same family, and governs under 

* The abdication of Dom Pedro I. in favor of his son, Dom Pedro II. , the present 
Emperor. 



78 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the same Constitution that was established in 1824. Her commerce 
doubles every ten years ; she possesses cities lighted by gas, long 
lines of steamships, and the beginnings of railways that are spread- 
ing from the sea-coast into the fertile interior; in her borders 
education and general intelligence are constantly advancing. 
^^-^This great contrast cannot be accounted for altogether on the 
ground of the difference between the two people and between 
their respective forms of government. It is doubtless true that 
a Monarchy is better suited to the Latin nations than a Eepublic ; 
and it is equally apparent that there is a very great dissimilarity 
between the Spaniard and his descendants, and the Portuguese and 
his descendants. The Spaniard affects to despise the Portuguesey- 
and the latter has of late years been underrated in the eyes of the 
world.* The child of Castile, take him where you will, is ambi- 
tious, chivalric, bigoted, vain, extravagant, and lazy. The son 
of Lusitania is not wanting in vanity, but is more tolerant and 
less turbulent than his neighbor, and is a being both economical 
and industrious. 

The reasons, under Providence, of the great divergence in the 
results of the Brazilian and Mexican Constitution may be summed 
up briefly thus : — Brazil, while providing a hereditary monarchical 
head, recognised most fully the democratic element j while acknow- 
ledging the Boman Catholic religion to be that established by the 
State, she guaranteed, with the single limitations of steeples and 
bells, the unrestricted right of worship to all other denominations; 
she established public judicial proceedings, the habeas corpus, and 
the right of trial by jury. 

Mexico, in the formation of her Constitution, copied that of the 
United States, but departed from that document, in the two most 
important particulars, as widely as the oft-quoted strolling actors 
deviated from the original tragedy when they advertised " Hamlet" 
to be played minus the role of the Prince of Denmark. The Mexican 
Constitution established an exclusive religion with all the rigorous 
bigotry of Old Spain ; and public judicial proceedings and the inter- 
vention by juries were omitted altogether. The starting-point of 

* "Strip a Spaniard of all his virtues, and you make. a good Portuguese of 
him." — Spanish Proverb. 



The Kule of Dom Pedro I. 79 

Brazil and Mexico were entirely different : the former, happy in a 
suitable form of government and in liberal principles from the 
beginning, has outstripped the latter in all that constitutes true 
national greatness. 

Brazil did not, however, attain her present proud position in 
South America without days of trial and hard experience. Corrupt 
and unprincipled men were in greater numbers than those who 
possessed stern and patriotic virtue. The people were ignorant 
and unaccustomed to self-government, and were often used by 
unscrupulous leaders to the advancement of their own purposes. 

The administration of Dom Pedro I. continued about ten years, 
and, during its lapse, the country unquestionably made greater 
advances in intelligence than it had done in three centuries which 
intervened between its first discovery and the proclamation of the 
Portuguese Constitution in 1820. Nevertheless, this administra- 
tion was not without its faults or its difficulties. Dom Pedro, 
although not tyrannical, was imprudent. He was energetic, but 
inconstant ; an admirer of the representative form of government, 
but hesitating in its practical enforcement. 

Elevated into a hero during the struggle for independence, he 
appears to have been guided rather by the example of other poten- 
tates than by any mature consideration of the existing state and 
exigencies of Brazil; and hence, perhaps, the eagerness with which 
he embarked in the war against Montevideo, which certainly had 
its origin in aggression, and which, after crippling the commerce, 
checking the prosperity, and exhausting the finances of the Empire, 
ended only in the full and unrestrained cession of the province in 
dispute. 

It may be remarked, that the defeat of the Brazilians in the 
Banda Oriental, though a seeming disgrace, was one of the greatest 
blessings that could have been bestowed upon the Empire. It 
appears that that war and its disastrous results were the means 
of preserving Brazil from making such modifications in her Consti- 
tution as might, if effected, have terminated in the overthrow 
of some of her most valuable institutions. The non-success of her 
arms almost annihilated the thirst for military distinction which 
was springing up ; and the energies of the rising generation were 
consequently turned more toward civil pursuits, from which resulted 



80 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

social ameliorations that tended to consolidate the well-being of 
the State. 

In addition to the imprudence and inconstancy of the Emperor, 
it was said — and not without truth — that his habits were extrava- 
gant and his morals extremely defective.* And yet, the main 
cause of his personal unpopularity seems to have consisted in his 
never having known how to become the man of his people, — in his 
never having constituted himself entirely and truly a Brazilian. 

He was often heard to express the sentiment that the only true 
strength of a government lay in public opinion ; yet, unfortunately, 
he did not know how to conciliate the public opinion of the people 
over whom it was his destiny to reign. At the period of the Bevo- 
lution, ho had, under the excitements of enthusiasm, uttered senti- 
ments calculated to flatter the nascent spirit of nationality, and his 
sincerity had been credited; yet his subsequent employment of a 
foreign force, his continued interference in the affairs of Portugal, 
his institution of a secret cabinet, and his appointment of naturalized 
Portuguese to the highest offices of the State, to the apparent ex- 
clusion of natives of the soil, had, among a jealous people, given 
rise to the universal impression that the monarch himself was still 
a Portuguese at heart. 

The native Brazilians believed that they were beheld with sus- 
picion, and hence became restive under a Government which they 
regarded as nurturing foreign interests and a foreign party. Oppor- 
tunities for manifesting their dissatisfaction frequently occurred, 
and these manifestations were met by more offensive measures. 
At length, after fruitless efforts to suppress the rising spirit of re- 
bellion in different parts of the Empire, Dom Pedro found himself 
in circumstances as painful and as humiliating as those which 
forced his father, Dom John VI., to retire to Portugal. Opposi- 
tion which had long been covert became undisguised and relentless. 
The most indifferent acts of the Emperor were distorted to his pre- 
judice, and all the irregularities of his private life were brought 



* The older citizens of Rio de Janeiro have not yet forgotten the place that the 
Marchioness of Santos held in the first Emperor's affections ; and his slighting 
treatment of his own spouse — a daughter of the high house of Hapsburg — was 
notorious. It has been said that, though a bad husband, he was a good father. 



Popular Agitation. 81 

before the public. Individuals to whom he had been a benefactor 
deserted him, and, perceiving that his star was on the wane, had 
the baseness to contribute to his overthrow. The very army which 
he had raised at an immense sacrifice, which he had maintained 
to the great prejudice of his popularity, and on which he had 
unfortunately placed more reliance than upon the people, betrayed 
him at last. 

After various popular agitations, which had the continual effect 
of widening the breach between the Imperial party and the patriots, 
J:he populace of Eio de Janeiro assembled in the Campo de Santa 
Anna on the 6th of April, 1831, and began to call out for the dis- 
missal of the new ministry, and for the reinstatement of some indi- 
viduals who had that very morning been dismissed. Dom Pedro L, 
on being informed of the assemblage and its objects, issued a pro- 
clamation, signed by himself and the existing ministry, assuring 
them that the administration was perfectly constitutional, and that 
its members would be governed by constitutional principles. A 
justice of the peace was despatched to read this to the people ; yet 
scarcely had he concluded, when the document was torn from his 
hands and trampled under foot. The cry for the reinstatement 
of the cabinet became louder ; the multitude momentarily increased 
in numbers; and, about six o'clock in the afternoon, three justices 
of the peace (in Spanish America it would have been a battalion of 
soldiers) were despatched to the Imperial residence to demand that 
the " ministry who had the confidence of the people" — as the late 
cabinet were designated — should be reappointed. 

The Emperor listened to their requisition, but refused to accede 
to the request. He exclaimed, "I will do every thing for the 
people, but nothing by the people I" 

No sooner was this answer made known in the Campo, than the 
most seditious cries were raised, and the troops began to assemble 
there for the purpose of making common cause with the multi- 
tude. Further representations were made to the Emperor, but 
were unavailing. He declared he would suffer death rather than 
consent to the dictation of the mob. 

The battalion styled the Emperor's, and quartered at Boa Vista, 
went to join their comrades in the Campo, where they arrived 
about eleven o'clock in the evening; and even the Imperial guard 



82 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of honor, which had been summoned to the palace, followed. The 
populace, already congregated, began to supply themselves with 
arms from the adjoining barracks. The Portuguese party, in the 
mean time, judging themselves proscribed and abandoned, durst 
not even venture into the streets. The Emperor, in these trying 
moments, is said to have evinced a dignity and a magnanimity 
unknown in the days of his prosperity. On the one hand, the 
Empress was weeping bitterly, and apprehending the most fatal 
consequences; on the other, an adjutant from the combined 
assemblage of the troops and populace was urging him to a final 
answer. 

Dom Pedro 1. had sent for the Intendant of Police, and desired 
him to seek for Yergueiro, a noble patriot, who had always been a 
favorite of the people, and who combined moderation with sterling 
integrity. Yergueiro could not be found. The envoy from the 
troops and populace urged his Majesty to give him an immediate 
decision, or excesses would be committed under the idea that he 
(the envoy) had been either assassinated or made prisoner. The 
Emperor replied, with calmness and firmness, "I certainly shall 
not appoint the ministry which they require : my honor and the 
Constitution alike forbid it, and I would abdicate, or even suffer 
death, rather than consent to such a nomination. " The adjutant 
started to give this reply to his general, but he was requested by 
Dom Pedro (who seemed to be struggling with some grand resolve) 
to stay for a final answer. 

Nothing could be heard from Yergueiro. The populace were 
growing more impatient, and the Emperor was still firmer in his 
convictions of that which his position and the. Constitution required 
of him in a moment so critical. But at length, like the noble stag 
of Landseer, singled out by the hounds, he stood alone. Deserted, 
-harassed, irritated, and fatigued beyond description, with sadness, 
yet with grace, he yielded to the circumstances, and took the only 
measure consistent with his convictions and the dignity of his im- 
perial office. It was two o'clock in the morning when he sat down, 
without asking the advice of any one, or even informing the mi- 
nistry of his resolution, and wrote out his abdication in the follow- 
ing terms : — 

"Availing myself of the right which the Constitution concedes 



Abdication of Dom Pedro I. 83 

to me, I declare that I have voluntarily abdicated in favor of my 

dearly-beloved and esteemed son, Dom Pedro de Alcantara. 

" Boa Vista, 7th April, 1831, tenth year "i 
of the Independence of the Empire." J 

He then rose, and, addressing himself to the messenger from the 
Campo, said, "Here is my abdication: may you be happy! I 
shall retire to Europe, and leave the country that I have loved 
dearly and that I still love." Tears now choked his utterance, and 
he hastily retired to an adjoining room, where were the Empress 
and the English and French ambassadors. He afterward dis- 
missed all his ministers save one, and, in a decree which he dated 
the 6th of April, proceeded to nominate Jose Bonifacio de Andrada 
(who, with his brothers, had been permitted to return from exile 
in 1829) as the guardian to his children. 

*— It was a striking illustration of the ingratitude with which he 
was treated in the hour of misfortune, that from all those upon 
whom he had conferred titles and riches he was obliged to turn 
away to the infirm old man whom, at a former period, he had re- 
jected and cruelly wronged. Finally, after arranging his house- 
hold affairs, he embarked in one of the boats of the English line- 
of-battle ship the Warspite, accompanied by the Empress,* and his 
eldest daughter, the late Queen of Portugal. 

It was fortunate for Brazil that she had enjoyed that which no 
Spanish- American country had ever experienced,— i.e. a transition- 
state. She was not hurried from the colonial condition — an era 
of childhood — into self-government, which can only be the normal 
state of nations in their manhood. She had, as we have seen, the 
monarch of Portugal, with all his prestige, to be her first leader in 
national existence; afterward the son of the king, who, by peculiar 
circumstances, was for a time the idol of the people, aided Brazil 
in coming to a maturity far better fitted for representative-govern- 
ment institutions than any of the neighboring states which had 
achieved their independence at an earlier date. Had the transition 
been more violent, the permanence of such institutions would have 
been endangered. Dom Pedro was certainly, in the hands of God, 

* The second Empress was the accomplished daughter of Prince Eugene 
Beauharnais, whom D. Pedro I. had married in 1829. 



84 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

a prominent agent in giving to Brazil that form of government 
which this day so wisely rules the Empire. 

With all his faults, B. Pedro I. was a great man, and possessed some 
noble aspirations, coupled with a promptness of action which will 
be remembered long after his errors have been forgotten. None 
but a great man could have returned to Europe and have fought 
the battle of constitutional monarchy against absolutism, as he did 
in the contest with his brother, Bom Miguel. His brief though 
chivalric and heroic devotion to the cause of civil and religious 
freedom in Portugal demands our highest admiration j and the suc- 
cessful placing of the young Queen Bonna Maria upon the throne 
of that country gave quiet to the kingdom, and was one more 
triumph in Europe of the liberal over the absolute. 

As time rolls on, the true merits of B. Pedro I. are more recog- 
nised by the Brazilians. Statues and public monuments are erected 
to his memory; and, though it may not be wholly applicable, yet 
there is no fulsome adulation, too common in that Southern clime, 
when they entitle him " Washington do Brazil." 

He loved the country of his adoption j and a few days after the 
memorable night of his abdication, as he gazed for the last time 
upon the city of Bio de Janeiro, the magnificent bay, and the lofty 
Organ Mountains, he poured from a full heart the following touch- 
ing farewell to his son, Bom Pedro II., in which not only is parental 
tenderness manifest, but a deep solicitude for the land whose des- 
tiny at one time seemed so closely linked with his own : — 

"My beloved son and my Emperor, very agreeable are the lines 
which you wrote me. 1 was scarcely able to read them, because 
copious tears impeded my sight. Now that I am more composed, 
1 write this to thank you for your letter, and to declare that, as 
long as life shall last, affection for you will never be extinguished 
in my lacerated heart. 

"To leave children, country, and friends is the greatest possible 
sacrifice; but to bear away honor unsullied, — there can be no greater 
glory. Ever remember your father; love your country and my 
country; follow the counsel of those who have the care of your 
education; and rest assured that the world will admire you, and 
that I will be filled with gladness at having a son so worthy of the 
land of his birth. I retire to Europe: it is necessary for the tran- 



Departure of Dom Pedro I. 85 

quillity of Brazil, and that God may cause her to reach that degree 
of prosperity for which she is eminently capable. 

" Adieu, my very dear son ! Eeceive the blessing of your affec- 
tionate father, who departs without the hope of ever seeing you 
again. D. Pedro de Alcantara. 

" On board the Warspite frigate, \ 
April 12, 1831." / 

On the following day D. Pedro I. « went on board the English 
corvette Yolage. Before nightfall the Pao de Assucar was cleared, 
and the ex-Emperor left Brazil forever. 

Having thus briefly narrated the history of the Empire to the 
abdication of the first Emperor, we will again turn our attention to 
Eio de Janeiro, where most of the preceding events occurred. The 
establishment of the regency, and the various changes and progress 
under the new monarch, D. Pedro II., will be found in Chapter XII. 



CHAPTEK VI. 

TUE PRAIA DO FLAMENGO THE THREE-MAN BEETLE SPLENDID VIEWS THE MAN 

WHO CUT DOWN A PALM-TREE — MOONLIGHT — RIO " TIGERS" — THE BATHERS — 
GLORIA HILL — EVENING SCENE — THE CHURCH — MARRIAGE OF CHRISTIANITY AND 

HEATHENISM A SERMON IN HONOR OF OUR LADY FESTA DA GLORIA THE 

LARANGEIRAS ASCENT OF THE CORCOVADO — THE SUGAR-LOAF. 

My residence at Eio de Janeiro was on the Praia do Fla- 
niengo, — a beach so named from its having been in early days 
frequented by this beautiful bird. Let the reader imagine tne 
beaches of Newport, Ehode Island, or of the battle-renowned 
Hastings, transferred to the borders of London or New York, so 
that, b} T taking tramway at Charing Cross or Union Square, in 
fifteen minutes he will be on the hard white sands and in the pre- 
sence of the huge ocean- waves, and he will have an idea of Praia 
do Flamengo. Entering one of the Botanical Gardens horse-railway 
cars, we go swiftly through various streets until we arrive at 
the foot of the Gloria, where, if we wish an up-hill ramble, we 
descend from our vehicle and pass over the picturesque eminence, 
and are soon cooled by the full blowing sea-breeze; or, if we prefer 
a more level promenade, we leave our conveyance at the Kua do 
Principe. The noisy wheels, and the equally noisy tongues, have 
hitherto prevented any other sounds from occupying our attention; 
but now the majestic thunder of the dashing waves breaks upon 
our ear. The eye is startled by the foam-crested monsters as they 
rear up in their strength and seem ready to devour the whole 
mansion-lined shore in their furious rage. The very ground 
quakes beneath us, and the air is tremulous with the powerful con- 
cussion. But no danger is to be apprehended. The coast, a few 
feet from the sands, is rock-bound, and along the whole beach public 
and private enterprise have erected strong walls of heavy stone. 
Sometimes, however, old Neptune has asserted his rights with 
86 



The Three-Man Beetle. 



87 



such tremendous energy, that masses of rock, weighing tons, havo 
been wrested from their fastenings. In May, 1853, a storm pre- 
vailed for several days, and a strong wind blew in the waves of the 
ocean with great directness against the protecting walls, and the 
strife was one of the fiercest that I have ever witnessed in contend- 
ing nature. As they struck the parapet they dashed eighty feet 
in height, thus showering and flooding the gayly -painted residences, 
and at the same time, in their retreat, undermining the land-side 
of the wall, so that for hundreds of feet between the Eua da 
Princeza and the Eua do 
Principe the municipality 
had a heavy job for some 
favorite contractor. (The 
paving of the streets was 
a never-failing source of 
amusement to me during 
my first year at Eio. Look 
at the pavers in the Eua 
S. Jose. The paving-ram 
is the " three-man beetle" 
of Shakspeare. A trio of 
slaves are called to their 
work by a rapid solo exe- 
cuted with a hammer up- 
on an iron bar. The three 
seize the. ram: one — the 
maestro, distinguished by 
hat — wails forth a ditty 
which the others join in ch 
at the same time lifting the beetle- 
from the ground and bringing it down with 
a heavy blow. A rest of a few moments 
occurs, and then the ditty, chorus, and 

thump are resumed: but, as may be imagined, the streets of Eio 
were by no means rapidly paved.) The damage done to the Praia 
do Flamengo required more than one year for reparation. A battle 
between the sea and the land like that of 1853 does not often 
occur: the rule is peacefulness and amiability, for the huge waves 




THE THREE-MAN BEETLE. 



88 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

themselves, that seem to foam so angrily, are only joyous in their 
giant sport, and, once touching the myriad sands, kiss them in 
their gentlest mood, and hasten silently back to their boisterous 
companions. 

The front of my house looked over the bay to Jurujuba and 
Praia Grande, and also commanded a view of the long Flamengo 
Beach, the Babylonia Signal, the lofty Sugar-Loaf, and the entrance 
to the harbor. Far up the bay were verdant isles, and beyond all 
towered the lofty Organ Mountains, sometimes gleaming in sun- 
shine, and sometimes half veiled in mist, but always the grandest 
feature in the landscape. From my back-windows, on my right, I 
could see the precipitous southern side of the Gloria, and on my 
left, beyond the red-tiled roofs, upreared the tall Corcovado, whose 
Bio face is covered with forests. Beneath me was the garden of 
my neighbor, a plodding Portuguese from Braga. This individual 
was originally one of those industrious ignorant poor from the 
mother-country, who in Brazil and elsewhere, by dint of regularity 
and economy, acquire property, but rarely taste. He had a beauti- 
ful stately palm-tree in the centre of his garden. Night after 
night have I listened to the music of the cool land-breeze as it 
played through the long, feathery leaves. The sight of it was re- 
freshing when the rays of the noonday sun made the more distant 
landscape quiver. It was a "thing of beauty," and "a joy," but 
not "forever." Early one morning I heard the click of an axe; 
and, rushing to my window, I beheld Sr. M. directing a black, 
who, with sturdy blows, buried the sharp instrument deep into the 
trunk of the noble tree, and each succeeding stroke made the 
graceful summit and the clustering fruit piteously tremble. 

" The ruthless axe that hew'd its silvered trunk 
Cut loose the ties that, tendril-like, had bound 
My love unto the tree ; and when it sunk, 
My heart sank with it to the ground." 

"Woodman, spare that tree," 

sung by the voice of an angel, would not have stayed the work of 
destruction ) and thus the prince of the tropic forest fell by igno- 
minious hands. Sr. M., the regicide, went that morning to his 
toucinho (bacon) and came secca establishment in the Kua do Bosario, 



The " Tigers" of Rio de Janeiro. 89 

congratulating himself, as he stuffed his nostrils with areia preta* 
that he had gained a few more feet of sunshine for his cabbage-bed, 
by cutting down a palm-tree that a century would not reproduce. 
At evening, the view from the balcony in front of my residence 
was most charming. On a bright night the heavens were illumined 
by the Southern Cross, by Orion, and other stellar brilliants; and 
sometimes, when clouds obscured the lesser celestial lights, the 
bosom of the bay seemed like a sea of fire. But the most glorious 
nocturnal sight was to watch the full moon rise above the palm- 
crowned mountains beyond the Bay of San Francisco Xavier. Mild 
rays of light would herald the approaching queen, and soon her 
full round form, emerging, threw upon the distant waters of Juru- 
juba her silver sheen, while the dashing waves that burst along 
the whole length of the Praia do Flamengo seemed gorgeous 
wreaths of retreating moonlight. We are in the height of enjoy- 
ment. Perhaps we murmur 

" On such a night as: this," &c, 

and speak something about chaste Dian "moving in meditation, 
fancy free/' when we are suddenly brought to the sad realization 
that we are in a sublunary sphere. We rush from the balcony 
spasmodically, and instantaneously snatch cologne-bottles, bouquet, 
ammonia, or any thing that will relieve our olfactories. The 
tigers-\ also have opportunities for watching the moon rise. Eight 
o'clock has arrived, and these odoriferous — not to say savage — beasts 
come stealthily down the Eua do Principe, and for the next two 
hours make night hideous, not with yells, but with smells which 
have certainly been expatriated from Arabia Infelix. 

A curious story is generally told the newly-arrived stranger at 
Bio, of a Fluminensian who on a visit to Paris became exceedingly 
ill. Every restorative was applied in vain, until a French physician 
well acquainted with the capital of Brazil was called in, and decided 
at once that it was impossible to hope for the recovery of the 



* Literally, black sand, — a favorite snuff made in Bahia. 

| The sewerage of Rio was formerly very defective, and slaves, nicknamed 
" tigers," conveyed each night to the water's edge the accumulated offal of the city, 
and the next tide swept it out to sea. 



90 Brazil axd the Brazilians. 

patient unless he could breathe again his native air ; but, as he 
could not return to Rio. the physician instantly prescribed that 
there should be concocted in the sick-chamber a compound of the 
most " yillanous smells." To make a long story short, the invalid 
recovered ! 

But as early as 1858 this nuisance became much more tolerable 
than formerly, for hermetically-sealed casks were then introduced, 
which carts during daylight collected, and the contents were con- 
veyed to some very distant point from the city. Rio at present has 
a good system of sewerage, the plans for which were laid before 
the Minister of the Empire in 185-4. This is now accomplished, 
and no tropic city ought to excel it as an abode both healthful and 
agreeable. The Rio City Improvements Company have done this 
work. 

The Praia do Flamengo, saving this drawback, was very attractive 
to all. and was one of the most delightful suburbs for the residence of 
a foreigner. But an hour after the tigers had finished their labors, the 
vhole place was as free from any thing disagreeable as if naught but 
the fragrance of orange-flowers had been wafted from the Gloria and 
the neighboring gardens ; and the morning light shone upon a pure 
white beach. 

For five months in the year the Praia do Flamengo is the 
favorite resort of bathers of both sexes. During the bathing- 
season, (from November to March,) a lively scene is witnessed 
every morning. Before the sun is above the mountains a stream 
of men, women, and children pour down to enjoy a bath in the 
clear salt water. The ladies who come from a distance are at- 
tended by slaves, who bring tents and spread them on the beach 
for the senhoras, who soon put on their bathing-robes and loose 
their long black tresses. Men and women, hand in hand, enter the 
cool, sparkling element, and thus those not skilled in natation 
resist the force of the huge waves which come toppling in. The 
senhoras are neatly dressed, in robes made of some dark stuff; but 
there is not as much coquetry as in a French watering-place, where 
the ladies study the becoming for the sea as well as for the ball- 
room. The gentlemen are required by the police-regulations to 
be decently clad, which still does not impede those who prefer a 
swimming-bath to the douche of the billows. 

It is a merry sight to behold Brazilian girls and boys evincing for 



The Bathers, of Praia do Flamengo. 91 

once some activity, — running on the sand, and screaming with 
pleasure whenever a heavier wave than before has rolled over a 
party and sends them reeling to the beach. The prostrate bathers 
drive their feet convulsively into the sand to prevent being carried 
back by the receding breakers. Now and then some mischief- 
makers shout " Shark! shark!" and away dash the senhoras to 
the shore, to be laughed at by the urchins who raised the cry. 
There are some traditionary tales about these rough-skinned 
cannibals, but I never heard a well-authenticated instance of a 
repast furnished by the bathers of Praia do Flamengo to the 
dreaded " wolf of the seas." 

By seven o'clock the sun is high, and all the busy white throng 
have departed. Here and there, however, may be seen a curly 
head popping up and down among the waves, its woolly covering 
defying the fear of coup de soleil. The negresses that accompany 
the ladies generally enter the water at the same time as their 
mistresses. On moonlight nights the sea is alive with black 
specks, which are the capita of the slaves in the vicinity, who 
splash and scream and laugh to their hearts' content. They all 
swim remarkably well, and it is pleasant to hear their cheerful 
voices sounding as merrily as if they knew not a sorrow. 

The people of Bio are fond of bathing, and on this account are 
called cariocas, which some translate "ducks." Many walk miles 
to enjoy it. There is a floating bath in the harbor, not far from 
Hotel Pharoux, for those whose courage is great enough to brave 
the element which is there called sea-water, but which a truthful 
narrator, previous to the improved sewerage, would stigmatize by 
another name. 

Nor are the bipeds the only animals that derive benefit from the 
ablutions on Praia do Flamengo. The horses and mules have 
allotted to them a certain portion of the beach, where at an early 
hour they are bathed and brushed. It is a comfort to know that 
the poor creatures have this chance of cleanliness; otherwise they 
would suffer greatly from the laziness of their keepers. Gentlemen 
who care for their horses endeavor to procure English grooms, for 
a black is proverbially a bad care-taker for any animal. The 
beautiful horses imported at great expense from the Cape of Good 
Hope are soon destroyed under the hands of the negroes. It is 



92 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

considered that the climate of Brazil is unfavorable to them, and 
one can hardly believe that these pampered, delicate animals 
are of the same race, half English, half Arabian, which at the Cape 
of Good Hope will endure a journey of sixty or seventy miles a 
day without other refreshment than a feed of oats and a roll on 
the sand.* For all useful purposes the horses of the country are 
better, but they are not so swift or graceful as the imported animals. 

It was but a few paces from my front-door to the southern 
entrance of the Gloria. Here, when the surf was not too high, 
boats could land, and often were our evenings enlivened by the 
presence of some of the intelligent officers from the men-of-war 
whose station was beyond the Fortress Yillegagnon. 

Once within the gateway at the foot of the hill, we behold a 
narrow, level strip of ground, occupied by one or two secluded 
residences and a beautiful private flower-garden. The base of the 
black rock which rises perpendicularly on the side facing the sea is 
hidden by large waving banana-trees and overhanging creepers. 
The diversified summit of the hill is checkered with every evidence 
of city and country agreeably blended. Narrow paths wind 
around the hill at different altitudes, leading to the many beautiful 
residences and gardens by which it is covered to the summit. On 
either side of the paths are seen dense hedges of flowering mi- 
mosas, lofty palms, and the singular cashew-tree, with its bottle- 
shaped, refreshing fruit, and occasionally other large trees, hung 
with splendid parasites, while throughout the scene there prevails 
a quiet and a coolness which could scarcely be anticipated within 
the precincts of a city situated beneath a tropical sun. 

In the first half of this Century, before the establishment of omni- 
buses and trams to the more remote suburbs, the Gloria by its easy 
access, was one of the most desirable places of residence in Rio. For 
it I have the most pleasant memories. 

Among the dwellers on the Gloria were two families, (English and 
Swiss,) who in their tastes and accomplishments were far beyond 
the mere shopkeeping class so often found in a foreign land. In 

* When Napoleon was at St. Helena he was supplied with these horses, and 
their fire exactly suited his style of riding. The old English generals whose duty 
it was to accompany their "perverse prisoner" had often reason to complain of 
the pace of the Cape horses. 



Evening-Scene on the Gloria. 



93 



their pleasant society one was often compensated for the home- 
circle left far over the billow. The Englishman was an amateur- 
naturalist of the very first ability, while both families possessed 
the best periodical and standard literature of England and of 
France. After the fatigues of the day it was a delightful recrea- 
tion to spend the even- 
ing amid such compa- 
nions and surrounded 
by such glorious sce- 
nery. On many moon- 
light evenings I could 
enter into the feelings 
entertained by Dr. Kid- 
der years before, and, 
as he expressed it, 
could realize "the en- 
chantment of an even- 
ing-scene so felicitous- 
ly described by Yon 
Martius." 

" A delicate transpa- 
rent mist hangs over 
the country; the moon 
shines brightly amid 
heavy and singularly- 
grouped clouds. The 
outlines of the objects 
illuminated by it are 
clear and well defined, 

while a magic twilight seems to remove from the eye those which 
are in the shade. Scarce a breath of air is stirring, and the neigh- 
boring mimosas, that have folded up their leaves to sleep, stand 
motionless beside the dark crowns of the mangueiras, the jaca- 
tree, and the ethereal jambos. Sometimes a sudden wind arises, 
and the juiceless leaves of the cashew rustle; the richly-flowered 
grumijama and pitanga let drop a fragrant shower of snow-white 
blossoms; the crowns of the majestic palms wave slowly above the 
silent roof which they overhang like a symbol of peace and tran- 




FRUIT AND NUT OF THE CASHEW-TREE. 



94 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

quillity. Shrill cries of the cicada, the grasshopper, and tree-frog 
make an incessant hum, and produce by their monotony a pleasing 
melancholy. At intervals different balsamic odors fill the air, and 
flowers, alternately unfolding their leaves to the night, delight the 
senses with their perfume, — now the bowers of paullinias, or the 
neighboring orange-grove, — then the thick tufts of the eupatoria, 
or the bunches of the flowering palms, suddenly bursting, disclose 
their blossoms, and thus maintain a constant succession of fra- 
grance; while the silent vegetable world, illuminated by swarms 
of fire-flies as by a thousand moving stars, charms the night by its 
delicious odors. Brilliant lightnings play incessantly in the horizon 
and elevate the mind in joyful admiration to the stars, which, glow- 
ing in solemn silence in the firmament, fill the soul with a presen- 
timent of still sublimer wonders." 

Often, while enjoying the scene which the great German natural- 
ist has so eloquently depicted, I was called away from my medita- 
tions by the clangor of the bells in the tower of the Gloria Church. 
Though the worship of Him who made the beautiful nature around 
me should be ever more elevating than the mere contemplation of 
the grand and wonderful in the material world, yet the sound of 
those bells filled me with painful reflections. Whene/er I entered 
that pretty church of Nossa Senhora da Gloria, whenever I gazed 
upon the kneeling throng and on the evidences of a corrupted 
Christianity, I could not believe that God was worshipped "in 
spirit and in truth." 

In the interior, the octagonal walls are lined for several feet 
with large Dutch tiles, representing landscapes and scenes con- 
nected with classic heathenism. Actseon and his dogs start the 
timid deer, or pursue the flying hare; Cupid, too, with arrows in 
hand, joins the sport. Over the chief altar Nossa Senhora da 
Gloria, robed like a fashionable lady in silks and laces, looks down 
upon the scene beneath. She has received many jewels from her 
devotees, and no gem is esteemed too costly to win her favor. 
She wears brilliant finger-rings, and diamond buttons fasten the 
sleeves of her gown. Her bosom and ears are graced with diamond 
necklaces and rich pendants. An immense diamond brooch 
sparkles on her breast: this was vowed to the Yirgin by Donna 
Prancisca, the consort of Prince de Joinville, in prospective compen- 



The Marriage of Heathenism and Christianity. 95 

sation for the restoration of Her Highness' s health. The flowing 
curls that cluster around Our Lady's brow are also offerings, clipped 
by some anxious mother from the glossy locks of a favorite child.* 

Let us enter the vestry in the rear of the church. Here we 
behold a few specimens of what may be seen in every church in 
Brazil, and which was formerly to be witnessed in almost every 
heathen temple in old Italia before the days of Constantine the 
Great. In the many particulars in which we can trace with 
certainty the marriage between Christianity and heathenism, none 
is more curious than the system of ex votos. The ancients who 
were affected with ophthalmia, rheumatism, boils, defective limbs, 
&c. &c, prayed to their gods and goddesses for recovery, and at the 
same time offered on the shrine of the favorite divinity, or sus- 
pended near the altar, votive tablets, upon which were inscribed a 
description of the disease and the name of the invalid. Grateful 
acknowldgements and miraculous cures were also thus made 
public for the edification of the faithful worshippers and for the 
confusion of the incredulous. Thus, also, in Brazil every church 
is filled with votive tablets, telling of wonderful cures by Nossa 
Senhora and innumerable saints with very hard names. 

The pious pagans, however, did not limit themselves to mere 
written thanksgivings and descriptions of the parts affected, but 
hung up in their temples the handiwork of their mechanicians 
and artists, — representations in painting and in sculpture of hands, 
legs, eyes, and other portions of the afflicted body. In the Gloria 
Church also may be seen any quantity of wax models of arms, 
feet, eyes, noses, breasts, &c. &c. Where the disease is internal, 
and the seat of pain cannot well be modelled, the subject is gene- 

* " This wooden deosa has a splendid head of hair. It is the last of a series of 

rapes of locks committed on her account. When the brother of Sr. P. L a, a 

young gentleman of my acquaintance, was seven years old, his hair reached more 
than half-way down his back. His mother, having great devotion to Nossa 
Senhora, sheared off the silken spoils, and offered them as an act of faith to her, 
little thinking how literally she was copying the practice of heathen dames. The 
locks were sent to a French hairdresser, who wrought them into a wig. It was 
then brought to the church and laid in due form before Our Lady, when the priest 
reverently removed her old wig and covered her with the flowing tresses of the 
Larangeiras Absalom." — Ewbank's Sketches of Life in Brazil. 



96 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ralized by representing a bedridden patient: peril by sea is 
represented by a shipwreck. All proclaim one story, — viz. : the 
miraculous cure wrought by Nossa Senhora and other saints, 
through the ex voto offering. 

We have very early instances of the same mode of procedure 
among the heathen. The lords of the Philistines, who had seized 
in battle the ark of the Covenant, were with their people smitten ; 
and, when returning the ark to the children of Israel, the pagan 
Philistines made golden ex votos to accompany their dreadful cap- 
tive : (1 Sam. vi. 4.) 

Mr. Ewbank, who appears to have devoted much attention to 
comparative archseology and mythology, makes the following 
quotation from Tavernier, one of the early Eoman Catholic travel- 
lers in India: — "When a pilgrim goes to a pagod for the cure of 
disease, he takes with him a figure of the member affected, made 
of gold, silver, or copper, and offers it to his god." In the second 
volume of Montfaucon (also a Eoman Catholic writer) there is a 
long account of ex votos, "some of which were offered to Neptune 
for safe voyages, Serapis for health, Juno Lucina for children and 
happy deliveries : pictures of sick patients in bed, and eyes, heads, 
limbs, and tablets without number, were offered to Esculapius and 
other popular medical saints among the heathen/' 

This sad spectacle of modern heathenism at Eio de Janeiro is 
somewhat ameliorated by the fact that, whenever the ex votos are 
found in a church consecrated to Nossa Senhora or to some saint, 
the offerings are mostly brown and dusty with age. Occasionally 
a fresh pair of eyes or breasts are to be seen, but new wax models 
are less frequent in the capital than formerly. There must, how- 
ever, be a demand for them from some portion of the Empire ; for 
one-third of the wax and tallow chandlers (where these objects are 
obtained) at Eio have an ex voto branch in their manufactories. 
At Tijuca, Mr. M., a planter, informed me that he had just seen one 
of his neighbors whose arm had been so disabled that its use was 
lost, until he was advised by some one of the living "saints" to 
go to a chandlery and purchase a wax model of his unruly mem- 
ber to offer to the Virgin. Suffice to say the arm was completely 
restored. 

On the Sabbath I often passed over the Gloria Hill on my return 



A Sermon in Honor of Our Lady. 97 

from the shipping or from the hospitals, where I had been holding 
service or visiting the sick. During a festival I mounted the 
hill as usual, and as I walked beneath the broad platform upon 
which the church stands, I heard strains of music that were most 
unlike the solemn chants and the grand anthems of the Eomish 
eummunion. They were polkas and dances, performed by some 
military band that had been hired for the occasion ! I have re- 
cently been informed that this abuse, as well as some others, has 
been remedied through the direct interposition of the Emperor. 

Dr. Kidder thus gives an account of some of the religious exer- 
cises at the Gloria, which is applicable to Brazilian church-services 
in general : — 

"Preaching is not known among the weekly services of the 
church ; but I twice listened to sermons delivered here on special 
occasions. A small elevated pulpit is seen on the eastern side of 
the edifice, and is entered from a hall between the outer and inner 
walls of the building. In this, at one of the services which 
occurred during Lent, the preacher made his appearance after 
mass was over. The people at once faced round to the left from 
the principal altar, where their attention had been previously 
directed. The harangue was passionately fervid. In the midst of 
it the speaker paused, and, elevating in his hand a small wooden 
crucifix, fell on his knees, and began praying to it as his Lord and 
Master. The people, most of whom sat in rows upon the floor, 
sprinkled with leaves, bowed down their heads, and seemed to 
join him in his devotions. He then proceeded, and, when the 
sermon was ended, all fell to beating their breasts, as if in imita- 
tion of the publican of old. 

"In the second instance, the discourse was at the annual festa 
of Our Lady of the Gloria, and was entirely eulogistic of her cha- 
racter. One of the most popular preachers had been procured, 
and he seemed quite conscious of having a theme which gave him 
unlimited scope. He dealt in nothing less than superlatives : — 
1 The glories of the Most Holy Yirgin were not to be compared 
with those of creatures, but only with those of the Creator.' 
'She did every thing which Christ did but to die with him.' 
'Jesus Christ was independent of the Father, but not of his 
mother.' Such sentiments, rhapsodically strung together, left no 



98 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

place for the mention of repentance toward God or faith toward 
the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the whole sermon." 

In 1852, on the occasion of a very solemn festival in honor of 
Our Lady, one of the most eloquent padres of Eio was called upon 
to pronounce the discourse in the Church of Our Lady of Mount 
Carmel, which adjoins the Imperial Chapel. In the evening of the 
day referred to, a Eoman Catholic gentleman gave me an account 
of the sermon, one sentence of which I translate for the benefit of 
the reader : — " The magi of the East and the kings of the Orient 
came on painful journeys from distant lands, and, prostrating 
themselves at the feet of Nossa Senhora, offered her their crowns 
for the bestowment of her hand; but she rejected them all, and 
gave it to the obscure, the humble but pious St. Joseph I" 

During a festival, the faithful (and others, for that matter) can 
obtain any amount of pious merchandise, in the shape of medietas 
and bentinhos, — pictures, images, and medals of saints and of the 
Pope, &c. &c. These are " exchanged' ' — never sold — in the 
church, and fetch round prices. A medida is a ribbon cut the 
exact height of the presiding Lady or saint of the place of wor- 
ship. These, worn next to the skin, cure all manner of diseases, 
and gratify the various desires of the happy purchasers. There 
are certain colors esteemed appropriate to different Nossas Senhoras; 
and once I ascertained the important fact, that, when some pious 
Fluminense has made a vow to JSTossa Senhora, great care must be 
taken not to permit the wrong color to be used. A lady-member 
of my family, wishing to make a small present to one of her friends, 
— a young Eoman Catholic mother, — sent a neat pink dress for the 
little one; but the package was soon returned, with many regrets 
that the kind offering could not be received, for a vow was upon 
the mother which had particular reference to her child. She had 
vowed to a Nossa Senhora (whose favorite colors were like the 
driven snow and the heavens above) that if her boy recovered from 
his sickness he should be clothed in nothing but white and blue for 
the next six months ! At the end of that time, it was added, the 
present could be accepted. 

Bentinhos are two little silken pads with painted figures of Our 
Lady, &c. upon them. These are worn next to the skin, in pairs, 
being attached by ribbons, one bentinho resting upon the bosom 



Brazilian Pyrotechny. 99 

and the other upon the back. These are most efficacious for 
protecting the wearer from invisible foes both before and 
behind. 

I visited the Gloria Church during one of these festivals, and 
the " exchange" of pictures and medidas was immense. The price, 
however, was not always paid in money. I found that wax 
candles offered to the Virgin were esteemed equal to copper or 
silver coin. The heat and crowd of the church on this occasion 
were such that I sought the esplanade in front ; and the contrast 
of the cool night-air and the sweet odors that wafted up from the 
gardens beneath was as agreeable as refreshing. 

The multitude, I soon ascertained, were not confined to the 
church. Groups were collected around the fountain, and thou- 
sands were congregated in the ascent called the Ladeira da Gloria, 
or whiling away their time by eating doces, smoking, and con- 
versing in the Largo. They were awaiting the fireworks which 
were to close the festival. The Brazilians are exceedingly fond 
of pyrotechny, and every festival begins and ends with a display 
of rockets and wheels. The grand finale surpasses any thing in 
this line that is ever witnessed in North America; and I doubt 
if there is a single country in the world, except China, where 
pyrotechny is so splendid and varied as in Brazil. Not only are 
there wheels, cones, suns, moons, stars, triangles, polygons, vases, 
baskets, arches with letters and the usual devices known among 
us, but, elevated upon high poles, are human figures as large as 
life, representing wood-sawyers, rope-dancers, knife-grinders, bal- 
let-girls, and whatever vocation of life calls for especial activity. 
By ingenious mechanism these effigies go through their various 
parts with remarkable and lifelike celerity. There is nothing 
gauche. The figures are well dressed, even to the gloves of the 
represented ladies. The wood-sawyer makes the sparks fly, and 
the knife-grinder whirls a wheel that sends forth a perfect "glory" 
of scintillations ! 

There is no festa throughout the year that is more enjoyed by 
the pleasure-loving Fluminenses than that of Nossa Senhora da 
Gloria. The evening before, the usual number of rockets are sent 
up, — probably to arouse the attention of the Virgin to the honor 
that is about to be paid her on the following day, lest, in the mul- 



100 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

tiplicity of her cares, she should forget the approach of this anni- 
versary • for she must have a very wonderful memory if she call 
to mind each fete-day at which her especial company is requested, 
seeing that every fourth church in Eio is dedicated to a JN*ossa 
Senhora of some kind. 

Early on the morning of this festival, the approach to the white 
temple is crowded with devotees in their gayest attire; for there 
is nothing in this celebration that requires the usual sombre black. 
The butterflies themselves, and the golden-breasted humming-birds 
that flit among the opening jessamines and roses around, are not 
more brilliant than the senhoras and senhoritas of all ages who 
flutter about, robed in the brightest colors of the rainbow, and 
with their long black tresses elaborately dressed and adorned with 
natural flowers, among which the carnation is pre-eminent. They 
enter the church to obtain the benefit of the mass; and happy they 
who have strength and lungs and nerve enough to force a way 
up to the altar through the crowds whom nature has clad in per- 
petual mourning. Once arrived at this desired spot, they squat 
upon the floor, and, after saying their prayers and hearing mass, 
they amuse themselves with chatting to the circle of beaux who, 
on such occasions, are always in close attendance upon the fair 
objects of their adoration. For be it remarked that most of the 
praying, as in France, is done by the women ; and probably for that 
reason each man is anxious to secure an interest in the affections 
of some fair devotee, in order that she may supply his own lack 
of zeal. 

After patiently displaying their charms and their diamonds for 
some hours, a thrill of excitement passes through the throng, and 
salvos of artillery announce the approach of the Imperial party, 
who, when the weather permits, leave their carriages at the foot 
of the hill, and slowly ascend the steep path that leads to the 
church. This has been previously strewn with flowers and wild- 
ci nnamon-leaves. 

On some occasions, troups of young girls in white, from the dif- 
ferent boarding-schools, are in waiting at the top, to kiss the hands 
of their Majesties. This is the prettiest part of the exhibition, — 
the Emperor, with his stately form, and the Empress, with her 
good-humored smile, passing slowly through the lines of bright- 



The Larangeiras. 101 

eyed girls who are not without a slight idea of their own prominent 
part in the graceful group. 

After the ceremonies in the chapel, the Imperial party used to 
descend to the garden and grounds of the late Baron Marity, in 
whose fine residence a splendid collation was always prepared. The 
gala evening generally terminated with fireworks. The pyrotechnic 
display was on the street near at hand, and woe betide any unfortu- 
nate wight who would induce a spirited horse to pass that way. 
There is no other road into the city from Botafogo ; so that he may 
as well take a philosophical resolution, and enjoy, as best he may, 
the Catherine wheels and the fiery maidens pirouetting in the midst 
of surrounding sparks. 

A distinguishing feature of these gatherings is, that, amid all the 
thousands present, no scene of rudeness or quarrel is ever witnessed. 
Perfect good-nature reigns around ; and if, in the inevitable pressure, 
any person is trodden upon or jostled, an instant apology is made, 
with the hat removed from the head. As water is the only beverage, 
there is nothing to inflame the bad passions of the multitude. The 
slaves are not merely respectful in their manners, but evince a 
joyous sense of liberty for the day; and they ambitiously seek the 
best places for sight-seeing, which their less active masters in vain 
wish to attain. 

At midnight all is over, and the quiet stars shine down upon 
the church-crowned and verdure-robed Gloria. 

When we descend the Ladeira da Gloria and turn to our left, we 
are in a finely -paved — and in some places macadamized — thorough- 
fare called the Catete, a wide and important street, leading from 
the city to Botafogo. About half-way between the town and the 
last-mentioned suburb, we enter the Largo Machado, which is the 
commencement of the Larangeiras, or the valley of orange-groves. 
There were formerly many trees of the Laranga da terra* or native 
orange, in this lovely spot; and, although the most of them have 
disappeared, their places have been filled with their sweeter rela- 
tives, the Laranga selecta, and the night-air is laden with the rich 
perfume of their flowers. Some of the prettiest gardens — which, 

* Gardner is of the opinion that the Laranga da terra, or bitter orange, is not 
indigenous. 



102 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



instead of thick stone walls, are surrounded by open iron railing 
— and the most beautiful residences in Eio nestle in this quiet 
valley. 

A shallow but limpid brook gurgles along a wide and deep ravine, 
lying between two precipitous spurs of the Corcovado Mountain. 
Nearer to the source, you see scores of lavandeiras, or washer- 
women, standing in the stream and beating their clothes upon the 

boulders of rock which lio 
scattered along the bot- 
tom. Many of these 
washerwomen go from the 
city early in the morning, 
carrying their huge bun- 
dles of soiled linen on 
their heads, and at even- 
ing return with them, puri- 
fied in the stream and 
bleached in the sun. Fires 
are smoking in various 
places, where they cook 
their meals; and groups 
of infant children are seen 
playing around, some of 
whom are large enough 
to have toddled after 
their mothers; but most 
of them have been carried 
there on the backs of 
the heavily-burdened ser- 
vants. Female slaves, of every occupation, may be seen carry- 
ing about their children as on page 167; but the lavandeiras no 
longer work in a semi-nude state. 

One is reminded by their appearance of the North American 
Indian pappoose riding on the mother's back; but the different 
methods of fastening the respective infants in permanent positions 
produce very different effects. The straight board on which the 
young Indian is lashed gives him his proverbially-erect form; but 
the curved posture in which the young negro's legs are bound 




LAVANDEIRAS. 



The Ascension of the Corcovado. 103 

around the sides of the mother often entails upon him crooked 
limbs for life. 

Up the valley of the Larangeiras is a mineral spring, which at 
certain seasons of the year is much frequented. It is denominated 
Agoa Feirea, — a name indicating the chalybeate properties of the 
water. Near this locality you may enter the road which leads up 
the Corcovado. 

An excursion to the summit of this mountain is one of the first 
that should be made by every visitor to Eio. You may ascend on 
horseback within a short distance of the summit; and the jaunt 
should be commenced early in the morning, while the air is cool 
and balmy, and while the dew yet sparkles on the foliage. The 
inclination is not very steep, although the path is narrow and 
uneven, having been worn by descending rains. The greater part 
of the mountain is covered with a dense forest, which varies in 
character with the altitude, but everywhere abounds in the most 
rare and luxurious plants. Toward the summit large trees become 
rare, while bamboos and ferns are more numerous. Flowering 
shrubs and parasites extend the whole way. 

I once made the excursion in company with a few friends. 
Our horses were left at a rancho not far from the summit, and 
a few minutes , walk brought us through the thicket. Above this 
the rocks are covered with only a thin soil, and here and there a 
shrub nestling in the crevices. What appears like a point from 
below is in reality a bare rock, of sufficient dimensions to admit 
of fifty persous standing on it to enjoy the view at once, although 
its sides, save that from which it is reached, are extremely pre- 
cipitous. In order to protect persons against accidents, iron posts 
have been inserted, and railings of the same material extend 
around the edge of the rock. This has been done at the expense 
of the Government. If we except this slight indication of art, all 
around exhibits the wildness and sublimity of nature. 

The elevation of the mountain — twenty-three hundred and six 
feet — is just sufficient to give a clear bird's-eye view of one of the 
richest and most extensive prospects the human eye ever beheld. 
The harbor and its islands; the forts, and the shipping of the bay; 
the whole city, from S. Christovao to Botafogo; the botanical 
garden, the Lagoa das Freitas, the Tijuca, the Gavia, and the 



1-- _:..-.::_ ±:~z :zz _:.^::i 



:,.;": 



— — -^ : ".tii :z. :_t ;_t i^i ;.l.l :^ t i:;:-:; : ., ;:r:lr :: 
mountains and shores on the other, were ail expanded around and 

:----.-- "is 11- .:__;-■ _r.T ~.-s :::::j:^-:;;_:;;.: 7 :: ;.:; I 
----- -- - iizri ~~.:_ :_::t.---_ ;_;i:t: \:\ ; _ :_r ~: _ c-t :_. 

J::— :lr -.- — ;: :Z: = n :iz: :~ -;.ir_;_s ; _:;Z =— _- 1 — '_-; - --- 
: :~ :.: i '.--. 1: : . : :::::: ■.« Z~ Uriis ;: ;::.z.:; .'. :'_; ,::t'.:. ::::: .-.: r 
thrown together to supply the great aqueduct. In descendin g we 
followed this remarkable watercourse until we entered the city, at 
the grand archway leading from the Tfill of Santa Theresa to that 
: - an Antonio, as depicted on page 63. 2s or is this section of the 
: : :.:- '.-.-- :_::::■:::: :■: :l:s~ ::ci :: :.:;;: 7. : ^ ;._r - : :__ . 
negroes are met, waving their nets in chase of the gorgeous butter- 
^■nd other insects which may be seen fluttering across the 
t. ..:_ :.i;L i-\;:^ iz. ~!r sirr: iniii.^ fibers ;.z: ::li:ii*r 

Many slaves -~ eve formerly trained from early life to collect and 
preserve specimens in entomology and botany, and, by following 
\_> . - : .._-:.-_: . ;ii.r== ..-.--: r.. izinrzs-r ::7r::i:zs These 
Z: :;.- :.::r Jim:= ::r : :l.;.:7 ;: h;.::: Zi^s ~'z.:. if ::_ ":_t 1 ~:„ :1~ 
:l:.r;. ::rri=:i: tZ-:ii-::.~i_ :: ilrir ;:-_'.:"l_\ i_;-.~ s::.. ::: :_::: l\s 
interesting as did Yon Spix and Ton Martins, whose learned works 
upon the natural history of Brazil may be compared with those 
of Humboldt and Bonpland in Mexico and Colombia. 

I_r ::::.:::: i? ;. ~; :lr.r 1 1^:::.:1 :: ;.::. ; : _-— :rk. riiss:::^: ; :zit- 
::zir~ ;.". :~: :<zi =:iirTiiie= '.:i::.:: :1: S'lrf :-:•£- ::::: _: ■:"".".. ~:1 
a gentle declivity, and air-holes il given distances. The vie— ~ 
be enjoyed along the line of this aqueduct are, beyond measure, 
interesting and varied. Xow you look down at your right upon 
Hey of the Larangeiras, the Largo do Maehado, the Catete, 
the mouth of the harbor, and the ocean ; anon, verging toward the 
other declivity : the hill, you may survey the 0am] Si Anna, 
_ raburl : Z. igenho Yelho, and, in 

the d ii iie upper extr e ity : so mounded by moun- 

tains and dotted by islands A! rngth, just above the Convent 
: Santa Theresa, you will pause to contemplate a fine view of the 
town. But for the Hill of S. Antonio and the Morro do Castello 
the greater portion of the city would here be seen at on:r Dm 



Recollections of Sb. Domixgos Lopes. 105 

glimpse, however, that is perceptible between these eminences is 
perhaps sufficient, and the eye rests with peculiar pleasure upon 
this unusually-happy combination of the objects on every side. The 
Sta. Theresa hill has become a favorite place of residence. 

Probably no city in the world can compare with Rio de Janeiro 
in the variety of sublime and interesting scenery in its immediate 
vicinity. The semicircular Bay of Botafogo and the group of 
mountains surrounding it form one of the most picturesque views 
ever beheld. We are on the Corcovado; before us stands the 
far-famed Sugar-Loaf; and far behind us appears an immense 
truncated cone of granite. AThen seen at a distance, this mountain 
is thought to resemble the foretopsail of a vessel, and hence its 
name, the Gavia. Between this and the Sugar-Loaf remains a 
group of three, so much resembling each other as to justify the 
name of Dous Trm'aos. or Two Brothers. The head of one of the 
brothers stretches above his juniors, and also looks proudly down 
upon the ocean which laves his feet. At the base of the Sugar-Loaf 
is Praia Vermelha, a fertile beach, named from the reddish color of 
the soil. It extends to the fortress of S. Joao on the right, and to 
that of Praia Yermelha on the left, of the Sugar-Loaf. The latter 
is a prominent station for new recruits to the army ; and many are 
the poor Indians from the Upper Amazon who have here been 
drilled to the use of arms. This also was the scene of a bloody 
revolt of the German soldiery in the time of the First Emperor. 

The beach of the ocean outside the Sugar-Loaf is called Copa 
Cabana. A few scattered huts of fishermen and a few ancient 
dwellings belonging to proprietors of the land accommodate all the 
present inhabitants of this locality. Once it used to be far more 
populous, according to the recollections of Senhor Domingo3 
Lopes, — a garrulous sexagenarian with whom Dr. Kidder became 
acquainted on one of his visits there, and who detailed to him the 
monstrous changes that had transpired since his boyhood, when 
the site of S. Francisco de Paula was a frog-pond, and all the city 
beyond it not much better, although built up to some extent with 
low, mean houses. The sand of this beach is white, like the surf 
which dashes upon it. Whoever wishes to be entertained by the 
low but heavy thunder of the waves, as they roll in from the green 
Atlantic, cannot find a more fitting spot; and he that has once 



106 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

enjoyed the sublime companionship of the waves, that here rush to 
pay their homage at his feet, will long to revisit the scene. 

In beholding the Sugar-Loaf for the first time, I was seized with 
an almost irresistible desire to ascend its summit. This wish was 
never carried into action. As my countrymen, however, have 
shared largely in this species of ambition, I shall be more ex- 
cusable. 

It is said by some, that a Yankee midshipman first conceived 
and executed the hazardous project of climbing its rocky sides. 
Nevertheless, this honor is disputed by others in behalf of an 
Austrian midshipman. Belonging to whom that may, it was re- 
served for Donna America Vespucci, in 1838, to be the first lady 
who should attempt the exploit ; but the Donna failed to accomplish 
what her ambitious mind determined. Several persons of both sexes 
have, since this failure, made the attempt, and, at the peril of life 
and limb, some have succeeded in scrambling to the very top. On 
the 4th of July, 1851, Burdell, an American dentist, accompanied 
by his wife, a French coiffeur et sa dame, and a young Scotch- 
woman, made the ascent. From the latter I received an account 
of that adventurous night, when at times they seemed ready to 
dash into the foaming ocean beneath. Their toil and danger were 
of no small magnitude, and, when success finally crowned their 
foolhardiness, they sent up rockets and built a bonfire, to the asto- 
nishment of the gazing Fluminenses. A bold ascent of this sin- 
gular mountain, which is almost as steep as Bunker Hill Monument, 
was performed by a young American, who, without a companion 
or the usual appliances and skill of a seafaring man, worked his 
way up to the very summit, under the fall blaze of a burning sun. 
He was, however, so disgusted with his adventure, that he begged 
his friends never to mention the subject. 

Note for 1879. — Great amelioration in the condition of the streets has taken 
place since 1865. This is owing to a better system of paving, the stone for the 
pavement being quarried from the hills that abound in the city. The Rio City 
Improvements Company have contributed to this better state of things. Some- 
times there has been found a scarcity of water for so large a city ; but happily this 
want will be supplied when the new water-works shall be in full operation. The 
new company is English, and under the contractor, Sr. Gabriella, will bring water 
from the mountain region of Tingua, an unfailing source of the purest liquid. 
The stream which is to furnish the supply is the Rio d'Ouro. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

BROTHERHOODS — HOSPITAL OF SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA — THE LAZARUS AND THE 
RATTLESNAKE MISERICORDIA — SAILORS' HOSPITAL AT JURUJUBA FOUNDLING- 
HOSPITAL RECOLHIMENTO FOR ORPHAN-GIRLS NEW MISERICORDIA ASYLUM 

FOR THE INSANE — JOSE* D'ANCHIETA, FOUNDER OF THE MISERICORDIA — 

MONSTROUS LEGENDS OF THE ORDER FRIAR JOHN D' ALMEIDA CHURCHES — 

CONVENTS. 

To turn from the contemplation of nature to the works of man 
is not always the most pleasing transition; and Bishop Heber's 
well-known and oft-cited lines — 

" Though every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile" — 

seem doubly true in South America, where the grand and the 
beautiful are so wonderfully profuse and in such strong contrast 
with the shortcomings of earth's last and highest creature. But 
the philanthropy and practical Christianity embodied in the hos- 
pitals of Eio de Janeiro are in happy dissimilitude with the 
mummeries and puerilities which the Eoman Catholic Church has 
fostered in Brazil. These institutions, in their extent and effi- 
ciency, command our highest respect and admiration. 

Among the hospitals of the capital there are a number which 
belong to different Irmandades or Brotherhoods. These fraternities 
are not unlike the beneficial societies of England and the United 
States, though on a more extended scale. They are generally 
composed of laymen, and are denominated Third Orders, — as, for 
example, Ordem Terceiro do Carmo, Da Boa Morte, Do Bom Jesus 
do Calvario, &c. They have a style of dress approaching the cleri- 
cal in appearance, which is worn on holidays, with some distin- 
guishing mark by which each association is known. A liberal 
entrance-fee and an annual subscription is required of all the mem- 
bers, each of whom is entitled to support from the general fund in 

107 



108 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

sickness and in poverty, and also to a funeral of ceremony when 
dead. The brotherhoods contribute to the erection and support 
of churches, provide for the sick, bury the dead, and support 
masses for souls. In short, next after the State, they are the most 
efficient auxiliaries for the support of the religious establishment 
of the country. Many of them, in the lapse of years, have become 
rich by the receipt of donations and legacies, and membership in 
such is highly prized. 

The extensive private hospital of S. Francisco de Paula belongs 
to a brotherhood of that name. It is located in an airy position, 
and built in the most substantial manner. Each patient has an 
alcove allotted to him, in which he receives the calls of the phy- 
sician and the necessary care of attendants. When able to walk, 
he has long corridors leading round the whole building, in which 
he may promenade, or from the windows enjoy the air and a sight 
of surrounding scenes. There are also sitting-rooms in which the 
convalescent members of the fraternity meet to converse. 

The Hospital dos Lazaros is located at St. ChristOvao, several 
miles from the city, and is entirely devoted to persons afflicted 
with the elephantiasis and other cutaneous diseases of the leprous 
type. Such diseases are unhappily very common at Eio, where it 
is no rare thing to see a man dragging about a leg swollen to twice 
its proper dimensions, or sitting with the gangrened member ex- 
posed as a plea for charity. The term " elephantiasis'' is derived 
from the enormous tumors which the affection causes to arise on 
the lower limbs, and to hang down in folds or circular bands, 
making the parts resemble the legs of an elephant. The deformity 
is frightful in itself; but the prevailing belief that the disease is 
contagious imparts to the beholder an additional disgust. 

It was an act of true benevolence by which the Conde da Cunha 
appropriated an ancient convent of the Jesuits to the use of a 
hospital for the treatment of these cases. It was placed, and has 
since remained, under the supervision of the Irmandade do Santis- 
simo Sacramento. The average number of its inmates is about 
eighty. Few in whom the disease is so far advanced as to require 
their removal to the hospital ever recover from it. Not long since 
a person pretended to have made the discovery that the ele- 
phantiasis of Brazil was the identical disease which was cured 



Elephantiasis and the Eattlesnake. 109 

among the ancient Greeks by the bite of a rattlesnake. He pub- 
lished several disquisitions on the subject, and thus awakened 
public attention to his singular theory. An opportunity soon 
offered for testing it. An inmate of the hospital, who had been a 
subject of the disease for six years, resolved to submit himself to 
the hazardous experiment. 

A day was fixed, and several physicians and friends of the parties 
were present to witness the result. The afflicted man was fifty 
years old, and, either from a confident anticipation of a cure, or 
from despair of a happier issue, was impatient for the trial. The 
serpent was brought in a cage, and into this the patient introduced 
his hand with the most perfect presence of mind. The reptile 
seemed to shrink from the contact, as though there was something 
in the part which neutralized its venom. When touched, the ser- 
pent would even lick the hand without biting. It became neces- 
sary at length for the patient to grasp and squeeze the reptile 
tightly, in order to receive a thrust from his fangs. The desired 
infliction was at length given, near the base of the little finger. 

So little sensation pervaded the member that the patient was 
not aware he was bitten until informed of it by those who saw the 
act. A little blood oozed from the wound, and a slight swelling 
appeared when the hand was withdrawn from the cage j but no 
pain was felt. Moments of intense anxiety now followed, while 
it remained to be seen whether the strange application would issue 
for the better or for the worse. The effect became gradually 
manifest, although it was evidently retarded by the disease which 
had preoccupied the system. In less than twenty-four hours the 
Lazarus was a corpse ! 

The most extensive hospital in the city, and indeed in the Em- 
pire, is that called the Santa Casa da Misericordia, or the Holy House 
of Mercy. This establishment is located upon the sea-shore, under 
the brow of the Castello Hill, and is open day and night for the 
reception of the sick and distressed. The best assistance in the 
power of the administrators to give is here rendered to all, male 
and female, black or white, Moor or Christian, — none of whom, 
even the most wretched, are under the necessity of seeking influ- 
ence or recommendations in order to be received. 

From the statistics of this establishment it appears that more 



110 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



than seven thousand patients are annually received, of whom more 
than one thousand die. 

In this hospital are treated vast numbers of English and 
American seamen, the subjects of sickness or accident on their 
arrival, or during their stay in the port. There are few nations 
of the world which are not represented among the inmates of the 
Misericordia of Eio de Janeiro. Free access being always granted 
to its halls, they furnish an ample and interesting field for benevo- 
lent exertions in behalf of the sick and dying. 




THE JURUJUBA HOSPITAL. 



The years 1850, '51, '52, and '53 were those of great mortality 
among foreigners on account of the first and only known visit of 
the yellow fever to Eio de Janeiro and the coast of Brazil. The 
number of deaths among the natives was much exaggerated, and 
in no portion of the Empire was the mortality ever so great as in 
those parts of the United States which have so often been visited 
by the same disease. In 1854, '55, and '56, no cases of the yellow 



The Yellow Fever Hospital at Jurujuba. Ill 

fever occurred, and its appearance and disappearance have been 
equally mysterious. The reader curious in such matters will find 
this subject treated in the appendix. 

New hospitals were arranged for the reception of foreign mariners 
stricken down with this fell malad}^ ; but none have been so well 
appointed, so well regulated, and so eminently successful, as the 
hospital at Jurujuba, under the supervision of a medical com- 
mittee, of which the late Dr. P. Candido was the chief. The prin- 
cipal visiting and attending physician was Dr. Correo de Azevedo, 
a gentleman of great affability and experience, speaking ten differ- 
ent languages with fluency, and who was a universal favorite among 
his patients from all parts of the world. Every day during the 
year the little steamer " Constancia," bearing the physician and his 
assistants, passes through the entire shipping, receiving the sick, 
and then transports them to the southern shores of the St. Xavier's 
or Jurujuba Bay. The hospital is situated in the midst of perpetual 
verdure, and where the ocean and land breezes are uncontaminated 
by the many impurities of a vast city. Here are excellent and 
kind nurses, who co-operate with the physicians in promoting the 
recovery of the invalids. Dr. Azevedo now resides at Theresopolis. 

Jurujuba Hospital was for me a place of frequent visitation 
during the prevalence of the dreaded yellow fever. How many a 
poor wayfarer of the deep have I seen here and on shipboard, fax 
away from country, home, and relatives, go down to the grave ! 
How often, too, have I witnessed the power of that " hope which 
maketh not ashamed/' as I have caught from dying lips the last 
loving messages sent to a distant father, mother, or sister, or as I 
have listened to the triumphant hymn which proclaimed the vic- 
tory over the last foe to man ! 

Although there was free transit to all who wished to go to the 
hospital, I never met a single Brazilian or Portuguese priest in my 
many visits to Jurujuba. It could not be pleaded in extenuation 
that it was an institution for English and American mariners, for a 
very large proportion were Portuguese, Spanish, French, and 
Italian sailors. The only Eoman Catholic ecclesiastic of any 
grade that I ever saw at Jurujuba was one of the devoted Italian 
Capuchins who seem at Eio to be ever on errands of mercy, 
through tropic heats and rains, while the lazy, lounging, greasy, 



112 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

acclimated frades of San Antonio, San Bento, and of Carmo, live 
at ease in their huge conventual buildings, situated in the loveliest 
and healthiest portions of the city. 

Before the erection of Jurujuba Hospital nearly all the necessitous 
foreign invalids were accommodated in the Misericordia. 

The benevolence of this latter hospital is not confined to those 
within its infirmaries, but extends to the different prisons of the 
city, most of whose inmates receive food and medicines from the 
provisions of the Misericordia. 

Besides the public hospital, the institution has another for found- 
lings, and a Becolhimento, or Asylum for Female Orphans. The 
Foundling-Hospital* is sometimes called Casa da Roda, in allusion 
to the wheel in which infants are deposited from the streets and 
by a semi-revolution conveyed within the walls of the building. 
This wheel occupies the place of a window, facing the thorough- 
fare, and revolves on a perpendicular axis. It is divided by par- 
tition into four triangular apartments, one of which always opens 
without, thus inviting the approach of any who may be so heartless 
as to wish to part with their infant children. They have only to 
deposit the foundling in the box, and by a turn of the wheel it 
passes within the walls, they themselves going away unobserved. 

That such institutions are the offspring of a mistaken philan- 
thropy is as evident in Brazil as it can be in any country. Not 
only do they encourage licentiousness, but they foster the most 
palpable inhumanity. Out of three thousand six hundred and 
thirty infants exposed in Bio during ten years anterior to 1840, 
only one thousand and twenty-four were living at the end of that 
period. In the year 1838-39, four hundred and forty-nine were 
deposited in the wheel, of whom six were found dead when taken 
out; many expired the first day after their arrival, and two hun- 
dred and thirty-nine died in a short period. 

The report of the Minister of the Empire for the official year 
1854-55 gives the following alarming statistics and the comments 
of the minister : — 



* The Foundling-Hospital was formerly the large three-story building seen on 
the right-hand side of the "View of the Gloria Hill from the Terrace of the 
Passeio Publico." The hospital is now in the Rua dos Barbonas. 



Foundling Hospital and Misericordia. 118 

"In 1854, 588 infants were received, in addition to 68 already in 
the establishment. Total, 656: died, 435; remaining, 221. 

"In 1853, the number of foundlings received was 630, and of 
deaths 515.(!) 

"There was, therefore, less mortality in the past than in the 
former year. Still, the number of deaths is frightful. 

" Up to the present time it has not been possible to ascertain the 
exact causes of this lamentable mortality. The statistics of later 
years do not show a diminution of the evil, notwithstanding the 
utmost effort and care that have been used to combat it." 

Well might one of the physicians of the establishment, in whose 
company a gentleman of my acquaintance visited several depart- 
ments of the institution, remark, "Monsieur, c'est une boucherie!" 

What must be the moral condition or the humane feelings of 
those numerous persons who deliberately contribute to such an ex- 
posure of infant life? One peculiar circumstance connected with 
this state of things consists in the alleged fact that many of the 
foundlings are the offspring of female slaves, whose masters, not 
wishing the trouble and expense of endeavoring to raise the chil- 
dren, or wishing the services of the mothers as wet-nurses, require 
the infants to be sent to the engeitaria, where, should they survive, 
they of course are free. A large edifice for the accommodation of 
foundlings is being erected on the Largo da Lapa. 

The Asylum for Female Orphans is a very popular establishment. 
It is chiefly supplied from the Foundling-Hospital. The institution 
not only contemplates the protection of the girls in its care during 
their more tender years, but provides also for their marriage, and 
confers on them dowries of from two to four hundred milreis each. 
On the 2d of July, every year, when the Eomish Church cele- 
brates the anniversary of the Yisitation of St. Elizabeth, by pro- 
cessions, masses, and the like, this establishment is thrown open to 
the public, and is thronged with visitors, (among whom are their 
Imperial Majesties,) some of whom bring presents to the recolhidas, 
and some ask for them in marriage. 

The new buildings of the Misericordia are upon a grand scale, and 
the view of it to those entering the harbor is, architecturally con- 
sidered, truly magnificent. It is constructed of stone, and is six 
hundred feet in length. There is only the half of the immense 



114 



Brazil and the Brazilian; 



structure presented to the eye as we look at the sketch below, en- 
graved from a daguerreotype; and the reader will be astonished at 
the size of this noble beneficiary edifice when he is informed that 
it is a double building, and that its twin-brother is in the rear of 
it; but it is so connected as to form several airy quadrangular 
courts. With its modern improvements, insuring superior ventila- 
tion, light, and cleanliness, — with its flower-gardens and shrubberies 
for the recreation and exercise of the convalescent, — with its cool 




Arsenal of War. 



SERICORD 



fountains, its spacious apartments, kind attendants, and beautiful 
situation, — this hospital is, as has been well said, "a credit to the 
civilization of the age, and a splendid monument of the munifi- 
cence and benevolence of the Brotherhood of Mercy." 

The Lunatic Asylum, or, as it is officially called, the Hospicio de 
Pedro II., situated on the graceful Bay of Botafogo, is a splendid, 
palace-like structure, inaugurated in 1852. The accommodation 
for the insane is here upon a scale of comfort and splendor only 
equalled by the Misericordia, whose noble dome lifts itself above 



Jose de Anchieta. 115 

the Praia da Santa Luzia. The French Sisters of Charity are the 
nurses here as well as in the house of the Brothers of Mercy. The 
Emperor, after whom the hospital at Botafogo is named, is one of 
its most liberal supporters. 

The annual expenses of the Misericordia are about one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars. A small portion of its receipts are pro- 
vided for by certain tributes at the Custom-House, another portion 
by lotteries, and the balance by donations and the rent of properties 
which belong to the institution through purchase and legacies. 
The Foundling-Hospital and Eecolhimento have been in existence 
about a hundred years. The original establishment of the Miseri- 
cordia dates back as far as 1582, and took place under the auspices 
of that distinguished Jesuit, Jose de Anchieta. About that time 
there arrived in the port a Spanish armada, consisting of sixteen 
vessels-of-war, and having on board three thousand Spaniards, 
bound to the Straits of Majellan. During the voyage very severe 
storms had been experienced, in which the vessels had suffered 
greatly, and sickness had extensively broken out on board. An- 
chieta was at the time on a visit to the college of his order, which 
had been founded some years previously, and whose towers still 
surmount the Castello Hill. Moved by compassion for the suffering 
Spaniards, he made arrangements for their succor, and in so doing 
laid the foundation of an institution which has continued to the 
present day enlarging its charities and increasing its means of 
alleviating human suffering. 

It is impossible to contemplate the results of such an act of 
philanthropy without a feeling of respect toward its author. 
How many tens of thousands, during the lapse of more than two 
hundred and fifty years, have found an asylum within the walls of 
the Misericordia of Eio de Janeiro, — how many thousands a grave! 
Anchieta was among the first Jesuits sent out to the New World, 
and his name fills a large spa^ce in the history of that order. His 
earlier labors were devoted to the Indians of S. Paulo, and along 
that coast, where he endured great privations and exerted a power- 
ful influence; but he finally returned to Eio de Janeiro, and there 
ended his days. 

His self-denial as a missionary, his labor in acquiring and method- 
izing a barbarous language, and his services to the State, were 



116 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

sufficient to secure to him an honest fame and a precious memory; 
but in the latter part of the ensuing century he was made a candi- 
date for saintship, and his real virtues were made to pass for little 
in comparison with the power by which it was pretended that he 
had wrought miracles. Simon de Yasconcellos, Provincial of 
Brazil, and historian of the province, composed a narrative of 
his life, which is one of the greatest examples of extravagance 
extant. 

It may be interesting to pass from the Santa Casa da Misericor- 
dia, so happily associated with his name, up the steep paved walk 
which leads to the old Jesuits' College on the Morro do Castello, 
where Anchieta died. Here we may contemplate the huge anti- 
quated structure, which, although long since perverted from its 
original use, remains, and is destined to remain perhaps for ages 
to come, a monument of the wealth and power of the order 
founded by Ignatius de Loyola, whose name the college bore. 

It is sickening to turn our attention from the good which 
Anchieta did, to the absurd inventions in regard to the founder of 
the Misericordia after he had been for a hundred years slumbering 
in the tomb. It is only one of those monstrous legends invented 
by the priests, approved by the Inquisition, and ratified by the 
church, which were for centuries palmed off upon the credulity of 
the people, as a means of advancing the interests and the renown 
of rival monastic orders. 

Mr. Southey remarks : — " It would be impossible to say which 
order has exceeded the others in Europe in this rivalry, each 
having carried the audacity of falsehood to its utmost bounds; but 
in Brazil the Jesuits bore the palm." 

Of this few will doubt who read the following. " Some/' says 
Vasconcellos, "have called him [Anchieta] the second Thauma- 
tourgos; others, the second Adam, — and this is the fitter title; 
because it was expedient that, as there had been an Adam in the 
Old World, there should be one in the New, to be the head of all 
its inhabitants and have authority over the elements and animals 
of America, such as the first Adam possessed in Paradise. 

" There were, therefore, in Anchieta, all the powers and graces 
with which the first Adam had been endowed, and he enjoyed 
them not merely for a time, but during his whole life ; and for this 



The Wonderful Gifts of Anchieta. 117 

reason, like our common father, he was born with innocence^ 
impassibility, an enlightened mind, and a right will. 

"Dominion was given him over the elements and all that dwell 
therein. The earth brought forth fruit at his command, and even 
gave up the dead, that they might be restored to life and receive 
baptism from his hand. The birds of the air formed a canopy 
over his head to shade him from the sun. The fish came into his 
net when he required them. The wild beasts of the forest attended 
him in his journeys and served him as an escort. The winds and 
waves obeyed his voice. The fire, at his pleasure, undid the mis- 
chief which it had done, so that bread which had been burnt to a 
cinder in the oven was drawn out white and soft by his inter- 
ference. 

"He could read the secrets of the heart. The knowledge of 
hidden things and sciences was imparted to him; and he enjoyed 
daily and hourly ecstasies, visions, and revelations. He was a 
saint, a prophet, a worker of miracles, and a vice-Christ ; yet such 
was his humility, that he called himself a vile mortal and an igno- 
rant sinner. 

" His barret-cap was a cure for all diseases of the head. Any 
one of his cilices, [wire shirts,] or any part of his dress, was an 
efficacious remedy against impure thoughts. Water poured over 
one of his bones worked more than two hundred miracles in Per- 
nambuco, more than a thousand in the South of Brazil; and a 
few drops of it turned water into wine, as at the marriage in 
Galilee. Some of his miracles are commended as being more 
fanciful and in a more elegant taste [sic'] than those which are re- 
corded in the Scriptures." 

The book in which these assertions are made, and which is 
stuffed with examples of every kind of miracles, was licensed by 
the various censors of the press at Lisbon, — one of whom declares, 
that, as long as the publication should be delayed, so long would the 
faithful be deprived of great benefit, and God himself of glory! 

The same author, who has collected and attested all the fables 
which credulity and ignorance had propagated concerning Anchieta, 
has produced a far more extraordinary history of Friar Joam 
d' Almeida, his successor in sanctity. It was written immediately 
after Almeida's death, when the circumstances of his life Avere fresh 



118 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in remembrance, and too soon for the embellishment of machinery 
to be interwoven. 

This remarkable person, whose name appears originally to have 
been John Martin, was an Englishman, born in London during the 
reign of Elizabeth. In the tenth year of his age he was kidnapped 
by a Portuguese merchant, apparently for the purpose of preserving 
him in the Catholic faith; and this merchant, seven years after- 
ward, took him to Brazil, where, being placed under the care of 
the Jesuits, he entered the company. 

Anchieta was his superior, then an old man, broken down with 
exertion and austerities and subject to frequent faintings. Almeida 
used to rub his feet at such times, in reference to which he was 
accustomed to say that, whatever virtue there might be in his 
hands, he had taken it from the feet of his master. No volup- 
tuary ever invented so many devices for pampering the senses as 
Joam d' Almeida did for mortifying them. He looked upon his 
body as a rebellious slave, who, dwelling within-doors, eating at 
his table, and sleeping in his bed, was continually laying snares 
for his destruction; therefore he regarded it with the deepest 
hatred, and, as a matter of justice and self-defence, persecuted, 
flogged, and punished it in every imaginable way. For this pur- 
pose he had a choice assortment of scourges, — some of whipcord, 
some of catgut, some of leathern thongs, and some of wire. He 
had cilices of wire for his arms, thighs, and legs, one of which was 
fastened around the body with seven chains ; and another he called 
his good sack, which was an under- waistcoat of the roughest horse- 
hair, having on the inside seven crosses made of iron, the surface 
of which was covered with sharp points, like a coarse rasp or a nut- 
meg-grater. Such was the whole armor of righteousness in which 
this soldier of Christ clad himself for his battles with the infernal 
enemy. It is recorded among his other virtues that he never dis- 
turbed the mosquitos and fleas when they covered him; that, what- 
ever exercise he might take in that hot climate, he never changed 
his shirt more than once a week; and that on his journeys he put 
pebbles or grains of maize in his shoes. 

His daily course of life was regulated in conformity to a paper 
drawn up by himself, wherein he promised "to eat nothing on 
Mondays, in honor of the Trinity, — to wear one of his cilices, 



Friar Joam d'Almeida. 119 

according to the disposition and strength of the poor beast, as he 
called his body, and to accompany it with the customary fly- 
flapping of his four scourges, in love, reverence, and remembrance 
of the stripes which our Saviour had suffered for his sake. Tues- 
days, his food was to be bread and water, with the same dessert, to 
the praise and glory of the archangel Michael, his guardian angel, 
and all other angels. Wednesdays, he relaxed so far as only to 
follow the rule of the company. On Thursdays, in honor of the 
Holy Ghost, the most holy sacrament, St. Ignatius Loyola, the 
apostles, and all saints, male and female, he ate nothing. Fridays, 
he was to bear in mind that the rules of his order recommended 
fasting, and that he had forsworn wine except in cases of neces- 
sity. Saturday, he abstained again from all food, in honor of the 
Virgin, and this abstinence was to be accompanied with whatever 
might be acceptable to her -, whereby exercises of rigor as well as 
prayer were implied. On Sundays, as on Wednesdays, he observed 
the rules of the community." 

The great object of his most thankful meditations was to think 
that, having been born in England,* and in London, in the very 
seat and heart of heresy, he had been led to this happy way of life. 
In this extraordinary course of self-torment, Friar Joam d'Almeida 
attained the great age of fourscore and two. When he was far 
advanced in years, his cilices and scourges were taken from him 
lest they should accelerate his death ; but from that time he was 
observed to lose strength, as if his constitution was injured by the 
change : such practices were become necessary to him, like a per- 
petual blister, without which the bodily system, having been long 
accustomed to it, could not continue its functions. He used to 
entreat others, for the love of God, to lend him a whip or a cilice, 
•exclaiming, "What means have I now wherewith to appease the 
Lord ? What shall I do to be saved ?" Such are the works which 
a corrupt church has substituted for faith in Christ and for the 
duties of genuine Christianity. 

Nor must this be considered as a mere case of individual mad- 
ness. While Almeida lived, he was an object of reverence and 

* On one side of his portrait is the figure of England, on the other that of Brazil, 
and under them these words: — "Hinc Anglus, hinc Angelus." 



120 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

admiration, not only to the common people of Bio de Janeiro, but 
to persons of all ranks. His excesses were in the spirit of his reli- 
gion, and they were recorded after his death for edification and 
example, under the sanction of the Superiors of an order which at 
that time held the first rank in the estimation of the Eoman 
Catholic world. 

During his last illness the convent was crowded with persons 
who were desirous to behold the death of a saint. Nothing else 
was talked of in the city, and the Fluminenses accosted each other 
with condolences as for some public calamity. Solicitations were 
made thus early for scraps of his writing, rags of his garments or 
cilices, and, indeed, any thing which had belonged to him; and 
the porter was fully employed in receiving and delivering beads, 
cloths, and other things which devout persons sent, that they 
might be applied to the body of the dying saint and imbibe from 
it a healing virtue. He was bled during his illness, and every drop 
of the blood was carefully received upon cloths, which were divided 
as relics among those who had most interest in the college. 

When the bell of the college announced his death, the whole 
city was as greatly agitated as if the alarm of an invasion had been 
given. The governor, the bishop-administrator, the magistrates, 
nobles, clergy, and religious of every order, and the whole people, 
hastened to his funeral. Every shop was shut. Even the cripples 
and the sick were carried to the ceremony. Another person died 
at the same time, and it was with great difficulty that men could 
be found to bear the body to the grave. 

An official statement of the proceedings of the day was drawn 
up, to be a perpetual memorial j and the admiration of the people 
for Friar Joam d' Almeida was so great, especially in Eio de Janeiro, 
that they used his relics in diseases with as much faith as if he had 
been canonized, ^ind with as much success. For a while they in- 
voked no other saint, as if they had forgotten their former objects 
of devotion ! 

The practical rules of our Saviour, in the Sermon on the Mount, 
in regard to cheerfulness and absence of ostentation in religion, are 
very far from coinciding with the above practices ; and one would 
judge that there was no need of a Mediator for the man who thus 
worked out his own salvation. 



Churches, Chapels, and Convents. 121 

There are within the city of Eio and its suburbs about fifty 
churches and chapels. They are generally among the most costly 
and imposing edifices of the country, although many of them have 
but little to boast as regards either plan or finish. They may 
be found of various form and style. Some are octagonal, some are 
in the form of the Eoman and some of the Grecian cross, while 
others are merely oblong. The Church of the Candelaria* was 
originally designed to be a cathedral for the diocese of Eio de 
Janeiro. It was commenced about seventy years ago, but is not 
yet entirely finished. Like nearly every other building for eccle- 
siastical purposes in the country, it stands as a memento of past 
generations. The erection of a new church in Brazil is not an 
event of frequent occurrence. 

The chapels of the convents are in several instances larger, and 
probably more expensive, than any of the churches. That of the 
Convent of San Bentof is one of the most ancient, having been 
repaired, according to an inscription it bears, in 1671. The exte- 
rior of the edifice is rude but massive ; its windows are heavily 
barred with iron gratings, more resembling a prison than a place 
of worship. The sides of the chapel are crowded with images and 
altars. The roof and ceiled walls exhibit paintings designed to 
illustrate the history of the patron saint, the relics of whose 
miracles are here carefully preserved. Unnumbered figures of 
angels and cherubs, carved in wood and heavily gilded, look down 
upon you from every corner in which they can be fastened : in 
fact, nearly the whole interior is gilt. The order of the Bene- 
dictines is by far the richest in the Empire, possessing houses and 
lands of vast extent, though the number of monks is at present 
quite small. In the convent proper, a large square area is sur- 
rounded by corridors open on one side, and exhibiting the doors 
of the several dormitories of the monks on the other. An accessible 
apartment is devoted to the library, composed of about six thou- 
sand volumes. The sombre and melancholy air which pervades 



* The tall spires of this church may be seen in the general "View of Rio de 
Janeiro from the Island of Cobras," rising above the right of the central palm-tree. 

f The turrets of this convent are those seen farthest to the right, in the " View" 
referred to in the note above. 



122 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



this monastic pile is in perfect contrast with the splendid scene to 
be enjoyed in front of it, and with the neat and modern appear- 
ance of the Naval Arsenal, located at the foot of the eminence on 
which it stands.* 

A striking peculiarity in the aspect of Eio de Janeiro is derived 
from the circumstance that all the most elevated and commanding 

sites of the city and its 



v 



vicinity are occupied by 
churches and convents. 
Of these may be next men- 
tioned the Convent of 
St. Anthony, a mendicant 
order, whose shovel-hat 
monks, although sworn to 
eternal poverty, have con- 
trived to obtain a very 
valuable site and to erect 
a most costly edifice. The 
building, since they can pos- 
sess nothing themselves, 
belongs,very conveniently, 
to the Pope of Eome. In 
it are two immense cha- 
pels and a vast cloister, 
with scarcely enough friars 
to keep them in order. 

On a hill opposite that 
of S. Antonio is the nun- 
nery of Santa Theresa, occupying a situation more picturesque, 
perhaps, than that of either of the monasteries mentioned; and 
yet, as if to render the appearance of the building as offensive as 
possible in the midst of scenery ever breathing the fragrance of 
opening flowers and smiling in beauty, its contracted windows are 




FRADES OF 



ANTHONY. 



* On the island of Cobras, nearly opposite the Convent of S. Bento, is an im- 
mense copper ring near the water's edge, put down by the celebrated Captain 
Cook in his last voyage. 



The Lady Boardeks of Ajuda Convent. 123 

not only barred with iron gratings, but even these gratings are set 
with bristling spikes. 

The Convent of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, which is overlooked 
from the Hill of Santa Theresa, completes the list of monastic insti- 
tutions in the capital of Brazil. In this last-mentioned were for. 
merly many inmates who had not taken the veil. The jealousy 
of the Portuguese and their descendants was such, that in other 
years it was not uncommon for a gentleman, when making a visit 
to the mother-country, to incarcerate — or, more politely, " procure 
lodgings" for — his wife in the convent, where she remained during 
his entire absence. I have understood that this shameful practice 
was first forbidden by the present Emperor. The monasteries may 
all be considered unpopular, and could never again be erected at 
any thing like their original cost. 

The churches of all descriptions are generally open every morn- 
ing. At this time masses are said in most of them. Ordinarily 
but few persons are in attendance, and these are principally women. 
Upon the great holidays, several of which occur during Lent, the 
churches are thronged, and sermons are occasionally delivered; 
but nothing like regular preaching on the Sabbath or any other day 
is known in any part of the country. 

Note for 1879. — As the subject of health is mentioned in connection with hos- 
pitals in this chapter, I add that I have been deeply interested in the report for 
1864 of the sanitary condition of the Empire, published by the' President (Dr. 
J. P. Regos) of the Junta Central de Hygiene Publica. It shows that, under the 
wise and skilful treatment of the Brazilian faculty, cholera and the yellow fever 
have much abated. Dr. Nicolan J. Moreira has also written on this subject in 
that excellent Brazilian journal, the Novo Mundo. He thinks that the character of 
the yellow fever has changed. But it is believed that physicians have much more 
control of the disease than formerly. Brazil has suffered the greatest medical loss 
by the death of Dr. Paula Can dido, who did more than any other man to make 
and publish close observations in regard to the epidemics of his country. He died 
at Paris in 1864 ; and his loss was felt in the eminent medical circles of Europe as 
much as in Brazil. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY — EARLY TO BED — POLICE — GAMBLING AND LOTTERIES 

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT VACCINATION BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK PRISONS — 

SLAVERY — BRAZILIAN LAWS IN FAVOR OF FREEDOM — THE MINA HERCULES — 
ENGLISH SLAVE-HOLDERS — SLAVERY IN BRAZIL DOOMED. 

The streets of few cities are better lighted than those of Eio de 
Janeiro. The gas-works on the Atterrado sends its illuminating 
streams to remote suburbs as well as through the many and intri- 
cate thoroughfares of the Cidade Velha and the Cidade Nova. 
They have not the convenient fiction which city governments so 
often palm off upon themselves in the United States, — viz. : that the 
moon shines half the year; for in Bio, whether Cynthia is in the 
full, or whether shorn of her beams by unforeseen storms, the lamps 
continue to shed their brilliant light. The coal for the gas comes 
from England. 

After ten o'clock at night few people are seen in the streets. 
The Brazilians are eminently an " early to bed, early to rise" 
people. When the great bells ring out the hour of ten, every slave 
"he'els it;" and woe he to him that is caught out after the tocsin 
tolls the time when the law prescribes that he should be in his 
master's house; for, if dilatory, the police seize Jose and commit 
him to durance vile until his owner ransom him by a smart fine. 

The same rule does not hold good in regard to freemen ; yet 
one would think that it was equally in force without regard to 
class, for the Fluminensians, as a general thing, retire at ten p.m. 
Nothing is more surprising to a stranger from the North, to whom 
the night is so attractive, with its coolness, its fragrance, and its bril- 
liancy, than to find the streets and the beautiful suburbs of the city 
almost as tenantless and silent as the ruins of Thebes or Palmyra. 

The police of Rio de Janeiro is military, and is well disciplined 

by officers of the regular army. They are fortified with plenty 
124 



The Policeman and his Duties. 



125 



of authority, and take care to use it. Great difficulties have some- 
times occurred between the constabulary and foreigners, where, on 
some occasions, the former have been to blame; but it was good 
for "Young America," when going "round the Horn" on his way 
to California, to be held in wholesome restraint by these "yellow 
Brazilians," whom he affected to despise. The police is armed. 
During the day you may see them singly or in pairs, having then- 
positions in convenient localities for watching the slaves and all 
others suspected of liability to disorder. Now the policeman, with 
three or four of his com- 
panions, strolls along by 
Hotel Pharoux to have an ,, 



Q 



eye upon the foreign sailors; 
or again, with a single con- 
frere, he takes his stand by 
the Carioca fountain; or, 
again, his undress-cap, 
his blue uniform, his 
sword, and his brace of 
pistols, are wholesomely 
displayed at a corner venda, 
where the tamanca*-shod 
Sr. Antonio from Fayal 
sells cachaga, (rum,) pig- 
tail tobacco, came secca, 
mandioc-flour, red Lisbon 
wine, and black beans 
The above-mentioned sta- 
ples are the articles of 
stock and consumption for 
the low grocer and the low 

class that patronize him. Sometimes he will get a little higher in 
the provision-line, and add butter, brought from Ireland, lard 
from the United States, onions from Portugal, sardines, a few hams, 
and sausages. Then, too, he is somewhat of a lumber-merchant ; 




POLICEMAN AND VENDA. 



* A sort of wooden-soled slipper much worn by the lower class of whites and tho 
free blacks. 



126 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

for he purchases a few bundles of finely-split wood, which, together 
with charcoal, is the small accompaniment of the kitchen-battery 
in Brazil. At these vendas is the only hard drinking (except that 
done by English and Americans) in Eio, and that imbibing is by 
the slaves. Often Congo or Mozambique becomes eloquent under 
the effects of cachaga, and then the policeman is an effectual arbiter. 

I have found few cities more orderly than Bio de Janeiro; and 
the police are so generally on the alert, that, in comparison with 
JSTew York and Philadelphia, burglaries rarely occur. I felt greater 
personal security at a late hour of the night in Bio than I would 
in New York. Yet there are occasions when the police receive a 
strong hint through the public press for their remissness. The 
following, taken from a late newspaper of Bio, is an illustration : — 
"Night before last, after eight o'clock, an individual named 
Mauricio was attacked by a band of capoeiras* who fell upon him 
with clubs, striking him upon the forehead, and gashing his thigh 
in such a manner as to injure the artery. The victim, bathed in 
blood, was taken to the drug-store of Sr. Pires Ferao, and there 
received the necessary succors, which were afforded him by Dr. 
Thomas An tunes de Abreu, who rushed to the aid of the poor man 
as soon as he was called. No police-authority appeared to take 
cognizance of this criminal deed!" Such outrages are exceptions, 
and a few articles based on facts like the above soon arouse the 
police to their duty. 

There are some offences against the good of society which the 
police occasionally winked at during my residence in Bio, — i.e. 
gambling. The jogo seems an inveterate habit of some Brazilians; 
and when I have been cooped up with them in quarantine I have 
had opportunities for watching how every class represented in the 
Lazareto, from the padre down, gave itself up to the gambling- 
passion. At Bio the laws are very stringent against gambling- 
housed; and there are times when their owners are earnestly 
ferreted out by the police. But in the Bua Princeza, during 1852 
and '53, a certain lawyer each Saturday night constituted his 
house a rendezvous where gamblers met, — the regular professional 

* Africans, who with daggers run a muck in the streets, but not often at the 
present day in Rio. See page 137. 



Gambling and Lotteries. 127 

blackleg, (including the lawyer,) and the young pigeon who came 
to be plucked. When I went to my religious services at nine 
o'clock on Sabbath morning, their carriages would be still standing 
before the door, and their sleepy servants yawning and swearing 
on every side. Policemen regularly marched down the Catete at 
all hours of the night and in the daytime ) yet month after month 
passed, and the den was not broken up until their operations were for 
a time suspended by the suicide of one of the parties concerned. 

There is another species of gambling most deleterious in its 
effects, which is countenanced and supported by the Government. 
1 refer to lotteries. They are not " sham" concerns, but prizes are 
put up, and, if drawn, paid. If it is a church, a theatre, or some 
other public building, to be erected, the Government grants a 
lottery. There are always six thousand tickets at 20$000 (twenty 
milreis) each; the highest prize is 20,000$000, (or about ten thou- 
sand dollars,) and the second prize is half that sum : there are then 
two thousand more tickets, which draw prizes of 20$000 (ten dol- 
lars) and upward. Everywhere in the city are offices for selling the 
tickets, and in the country there are equestrian ticket-venders who 
go from house to house with the risking billets. There is no fraud 
in awarding the prizes, and there is such a rage for this kind of 
gambling that the tickets are sold in a few days. The effects are 
bad; for the poorest whites and the shabbiest blacks will rake, 
scrape, and steal, until they have sufficient to purchase the quarter 
part of a billet, and then run with it to the shop where the naming 
wheel-sign with Anda a roda hoje (The wheel turns to-day) tells 
them that this is the road to fortune. When such a spirit is 
engendered by the State, it becomes rather difficult for the muni- 
cipal authorities to put down private gambling. 

The head-quarters of the police are in a public building at the 
corner of the Ruas Lavradio and Invalidos. 

The city government, consisting of nine aldermen, who compose 
the Camara municipal, are elected by the people of Rio (i.e. those 
possessing 100$, — about fifty dollars income) once in four years. 

The City Hall, which is called the Camara Municipal, is situated 
on the Campo Santa Anna. The General Government enforces 
vaccination, and it is on the lower floor of this building where all 
who present themselves on Thursdays and Saturdays are vaccinated 



128 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

free of charge : the patients, however, are obligated to return after 
eight days. A portion of the report of the Minister of the Empire 
is devoted to this subject, and in the report of 1854-55 the minister 
says that in the cities and large towns it is easy to enforce the 
law, but in the villages and the country it is difficult to overcome 
the obstacles which superstition throws in the way. 

There is a class, confined to no portion of the world, which comes 
under the especial surveillance of the police. Every Saturday the 
beggars have their harvest. Mr. Walsh remarked, in 1828, that 
beggars were seldom seen in the streets of Eio. This was far from 
being the case in 1838, when Dr. Kidder resided there. Through 
the lenity or carelessness of the police, great numbers of vagrants 
were continually perambulating the streets and importuning for 
alms ; and mendicants of every description had their chosen places 
in the thoroughfares of the town, where they regularly waited and 
saluted the passers-by with the mournful drawl of Favorece o seu 
pobre pelo amor de Deos. If any, instead of bestowing a gift, saw 
fit to respond to this formula with its counterpart, Deos Ihe favorece, 
(God help you,) they were not always sure to escape without an 
insult. When this state of things was at its height, and it was 
known that numerous rogues were at large under the disguise of 
beggars, the chief of the police suddenly sprung a mine upon them 
He offered the constables a reward of ten milreis for every mendi- 
cant they could apprehend and deliver at the House of Correction. 
In a few days not less than one hundred and seventy-one vaga- 
bundos were delivered, over forty of whom were furnished with 
employment at the marine arsenal. The remainder were made to 
labor at the penitentiary till they had liquidated the expense of 
their apprehension. This measure had a most happy effect, and 
the streets were thenceforward comparatively free from mendicity, 
although persons really deserving charity were permitted to ask 
for aid at their pleasure. 

But in 1855 the evil had again become a crying one. All shades 
of beggars seemed to abound everywhere. At length it was dis- 
covered that poor, old, worn-out slaves — those afflicted with blind- 
ness and elephantiasis — were sent out by their masters to ask 
alms. A new chef de police, however, made an onslaught upon such 
mendicants. He had them arrested and examined. No slave was 



Beggars on Horseback. 



129 



thenceforth allowed to beg, as he rightly deemed that the owner 
who had enjoyed the fruit of his labor during his days of health 
could well afford to take care of him when overtaken by old age 
and sickness.* Twelve mendicants were considered real objects 
of charity, and had licenses given them. These beggars, being 
either blind or lame, have now the monopoly of the eleemosynary 
sympathies of the good people of Eio ; and I believe it is found to 
be a most profitable business. Some of them are carried in a rede 
by two slaves or drawn by one ; one worthy rejoices in a little 
carriage pulled by a fat sheep, and another — a footless man—rides 




THE BEGGAR. 



on a white horse. Sometimes, in the country-parts of Brazil, beg- 
gars whose pedal extremities are free from all derangement play 
the cavalier, altogether disdaining to foot it, and seem to receive 
none the less charity than if they trudged from door to door 
Upon one occasion, a female beggar, adorned with a feather in her 
bonnet and mounted on horseback, rode up to a friend of mine at 
St. Alexio, and, demanding alms, was exceedingly indignant at any 
inquiries as to the consistency of her costume. The English pro- 
verb is not remarkably complimentary to such mendicants; but 



* The proverb in Portuguese is very forcible 
may gnaw the bones." 

9 



He who has enjoyed the meat 



130 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

a like application is never heard in the land of the Southern 
Cross. 

The House of Correction, referred to on a previous page, is 
located under the brow of a high hill, between the suburbs of 
Catumby and Mata Porcos. The grounds pertaining to it are 
surrounded by high granite walls, constructed by the prisoners, 
who have long been chiefly employed on various, improvements 
of the premises. On the hill-side is a quarry, and numbers are 
employed in cutting stone for more extended walls and buildings. 
Others are made to carry earth in wooden trays upon their heads, 
sometimes from one part of the ground to another, or to fill the 
cars of a tram-railway, which runs from within the walls to the 
borders of a marsh nearly a mile distant, which is by this process 
being reclaimed from the tide-water and converted into valuable 
ground. The more refractory criminals are chained together, gene- 
rally two and two, but sometimes four or five go along in file, clank- 
ing a common chain, which is attached to the leg of each individual. 

The House of Correction is as fine a building, in an architectural 
point of view, as any similar edifice in the United States. The 
Director, (Sr. Falcao,) however, finds fault with its plan. It is not 
yet completed; and it is gratifying to see that the Brazilian 
Government is taking every measure to bring about an entire 
reform in prison-buildings and prison-discipline. It is one of those 
evidences of progress in a nation which is unmistakable. In 1852, 
Sr. Antonio J. de M. Falcao — who, by his intelligence and enlarged 
views, was admirably fitted for his office — was sent to the United 
States to inspect our various prison-systems. The report of Sr. Falcao 
to the Minister of Justice (Sr. J. Thomas Nabuco de Araujo) is in- 
corporated in one of the Eelatorios of the nation for 1854-55, and is 
full of interest. It seems strange to read, in the official message of 
a Brazilian Minister, familiar and sensible discussions in regard to 
the systems of Auburn and Pennsylvania ; and it is a deserved com- 
pliment to Sr. Falcao that his able report has been fully reprinted 
in our own country, in the " Journal of Prison Discipline," so ably 
edited by the late Mr. Packard, of Philadelphia. Sr. Falcao gives 
his preference to the system of Pennsylvania. The Eelatorio of 
the Minister of Justice for the year mentioned is overflowing with 
instructive and interesting details in regard to penitentiaries and 



Punishments of Slaves. 



131 



prisons. It is not, however, a mere dry narration of facts, but 
wise suggestions and feasible improvements are laid before the 
nation in a manner at once clear, attractive, and forcible. 

The city prisons known as the Aljube and the Xadres da Policia 
all were in a very sad state : bad ventilation, bad food, and miserable 
damp cells, called forth the loud denunciations of Sr. Falcao and 
other enlightened philanthropists in Rio, and these evils were soon 
remedied. City prisoners are now sent to the Casa da Correc^o. 

Besides the prisons now enumerated, there are places of confine- 
ment in the different forts ; those of Santa Cruz and the Ilha das 
Cobras being the principal. 

Many of the prisoners are slaves, though the Brazilian law is not 
at all dainty as to color or 
condition. In the Relatorio 
of the Minister of Justice 
for the year 1854-55 I find 
that from the 7th of Sep- 
tember, 1853, to the 16th 
of March, 1855, forty slaves 
and twenty-one free per- 
sons (whi ch includes whites 
and blacks) were, for mur- 
der, condemned to death. 
The punishment of four- 
teen of the slaves was com- 
muted, and that of bat four 
of the freemen. 

One department of this 
prison was formerly appro- 
priated to the flogging of 
slaves, who are sent thither 
to be chastised for disobe- 
dieuce or for common mis- 
demeanors. They are re- 
ceived at any hour of the 

day or night, and retained free of expense as long as their masters 
choose to leave them. It would be remarkable if scenes of extreme 
ciuelty did not sometimes occur here. 




THE LOG, IRON COLLAR, AND TIN MASK. 



132 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The punishments of the Cast da Correefio are not. however, the 
only chastisements which the refractory slave receives. There are 
private floggings; and some of the most ei mmon expiations are 
the tin mask, the iron collar, and the log and chain. The last two 
denote runaways ; but the tin mask is often placed upon the visage 
to prevent the city-slave from drinking eachaca and the country- 
slave from eating clay, to which many of the field-negroes are 
addicted. This m^nid. — for it can be called nothing else. — if not 
checked, causes languor, sickness, and death. 

The subject of slavery in Brazil is one of great interest and hope- 
fulness. The Braziliau Constitution recognises, neither directly 
nor indirectly, color as a basis of civil rights: hence, once free, the 
black man or the mulatto, if he possess energy and talent, can rise 
social position from which his race in North America is 
debarred. Until 1850, when the slave-trade was effectually put 
down, it was considered cheaper, on the country-plantations, to 
use up a slave in five or seven years and purchase another, than to 
take care of him. This I had. in the interior, from intelligent 
native Brazilians, and my own observation has confirmed it. But, 
since the inhuman traffic with Africa has ceased, the price of slaves 
has been enhanced, and the seltish motives for taking greater care 
of them have been increased. Those in the city are treated better 
than those on the plantations : they seem more cheerful, more full 
of fun. and have greater opportunities for freeing themselves. But 
still there must be great cruelty in some cases, for suicides among 
slaves — which are almost unknown in our Southern States — are 
of very frequent occurrence iu the cities of Brazil. Can this, how- 
ever, be attributed to cruelty ': The negro of the United States is 
the descendant of those who have, in various ways, acquired a 
knowledge of the hopes and fears, the rewards and punishments. 
which the Scriptures hold out to the good and threaten to the evil : 
to avoid the crime of suicide is as strongly inculcated as to avoid 
that of murder. The North American negro has. by this very 
circumstance, a higher moral intelligence than his brother fresh 
from the wild freedom and heathenism of Africa : hence the latter, 
Led by cruelty, or his high spirit refusing to bow to the white 
man, takes that fearful leap which lands him in the invisible 
world. 



Brazilian Laws in favor of Freedom. 133 

In Brazil every thing is in favor of freedom j* and such are the facili- 
ties for the slave to emancipate himself, and, when emancipated, if 
he possess the proper qualifications, to ascend to higher eminences 
than those of a mere free black, that fuit will be written against 
slavery in this Empire before another half-century rolls around. 
Some of the most intelligent men that I met with in Brazil — men 
educated at Paris and Coimbra — were of African descent, whose 
ancestors were slaves. Thus, if a man have freedom, money, and 
merit, no matter how black may be his skin, no place in society is 
refused him. It is surprising also to observe the ambition and 
the advancement of some of these men with negro blood in their 
veins. The National Library furnishes not only quiet rooms, large 
tables, and plenty of books to the seekers after knowledge, but 
pens and paper are supplied to such as desire these aids to their 
studies. Some of the closest students thus occupied are mulattoes. 
Formerly a large and successful printing-establishment in Bio— 
that of Sr. F. Paulo Brito — was owned and directed by a mulatto. 
In the colleges, the medical, law, and theological schools, there is 
no distinction of color. It must, however, be admitted that there 
is a certain — though by no means strong — prejudice existing all 
over the land in favor of men of pure white descent. 

In some intestate cases, a slave could go before a magistrate, have 
his price fixed, and purchase himself; and I was informed that a 
man of mental endowments, even if he had been a slave, would be 
debarred from no official station, except that of Imperial Senator. 
But the law of 1871 settled the future status of slavery. 

The appearance of Brazilian slaves is very different from that of 
their class in our own country. Of course, the house-servants in 
the large cities are decently clad, as a general rule ; but even these 
are almost always barefooted. This is a sort of badge of slavery. 
On the tables of fares for ferry-boats, you find one price for persons 
wearing shoes, (calgadas,) and a lower one for those descalgas, or 



* A Southern lady (the wife of the very popular United States Consul at Rio 
during the administration of President Pierce) used to say that "the very paradise 
of the negroes was Brazil ;" for there they possess a warm climate, and, if they 
choose, may make their way up in the world. 



134 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



without shoes. In the houses of many of the wealthy Fluminenses 
you make your way through a crowd of little woolly -heads, mostly 
guiltless of clothing, who are allowed the run of the house and the 
amusement of seeing visitors. In families that have some tincture 
of European manners, these unsightly little bipeds are kept in the 
background. A friend of mine used frequently to dine in the 
house of a good old general of high rank, around whose table 
gambolled two little jetty blacks, who hung about their "pai" (as 
they called him) until they received their portions from his hands, 
and that, too, before he commenced his own dinner. Whenever the 
lady of the house drove out, these pets were put into the carriage, 

and were as much offended 
at being neglected as any 
spoiled only son. They 
were the children of the 
lady's nurse, to whom she 
had given freedom. Indeed, 
a faithful nurse is generally 
rewarded by manumission. 
The appearance of the 
black male population who 
live in the open air is any 
thing but appetizing. Their 
apology for dress is of the 
coarsest and dirtiest de- 
scription. Hundreds of 
them loiter about the 
streets with large round 
wicker-baskets ready to 
carry any parcel that you 
desire conveyed. So cheaply 
and readily is this help ob- 
tained, that a white servant 
seldom thinks of carrying 
home a package, however small, and would feel quite insulted if 
you refused him a preto de ganho to relieve him of a roll of calico 
or a watermelon. These blacks are sent out by their masters, and 
are required to bring home a certain sum daily. They are allowed 




PRETO DE GANHO AND QUITANDEIRA. 



The Mina Hercules. 135 

a portion of their gains to buy their food, and at night sleep on 
a mat or board in the lower purlieus of the house. You fre- 
quently see horrible cases of elephantiasis and other diseases, 
which are doubtless engendered or increased by the little care 
bestowed upon them. 

Formerly the coffee-carriers were the finest race of blacks. They 
were almost all of the Mina tribe, from the coast of Benin, and were 
athletic and intelligent. They worked half clad, and their sinewy 
forms and jetty skins showed to advantage as they hastened at a 
quick trot, seemingly unmindful of their heavy loads. This work 
paid well, but soon broke them down. They had a system 
among themselves of buying the freedom of any one of their num- 
ber who was the most respected. After having paid their master 
the sum required by him daily, they clubbed together their surplus 
to liberate the chosen favorite. There was a Mina black in Eio 
remarkable for his height, who was called "The Prince," being, in 
fact, of the blood-royal of his native country. He was a prisoner 
of war, and sold to Brazil. It is said that his subjects in Eio once 
freed him by their toil: he returned, engaged in war, and was a 
second time made prisoner and brought back. Whether he ever 
regained his throne I know not; but the loss of it did not 
seem to weigh heavily on his mind. He was an excellent carrier; 
and, when a friend of mine embarked, the "Prince" and his troop 
were engaged to transport the baggage to the ship. He carried 
the largest case on his head the distance of two miles and a half. 
This same case was pronounced unmanageable in Philadelphia 
by the united efforts of four American negroes, and it had to be 
relieved of half its contents before they would venture to lift it 
up-stairs. 

From time to time the traveller will meet with negroes from 
those portions of Africa of which we know very little except by 
the reports of explorers like Livingstone, Barth, and Burton. 
I have often thought that the slaves of the United States are 
descended not from the noblest African stock, or that more than a 
century of bondage has had upon them a most degenerating effect. 
We find in Brazil very inferior spiritless Africans, and others of 
an almost untamable disposition. The Mina negro seldom makes 
a good house-servant, for he is not contented except in breathing 



186 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the fresh air. The men become coffee-carriers, and the women 
quitandeiras, or street pedlars. 

These Minas abound at Bahia, and in 1838 plunged that city into 
a bloody revolt, — the last which that nourishing municipality has 
experienced. It was rendered the more dreadful on account of 
the secret combinations of these Minas, who are Mohammedans, 
and use a language not understood by other Africans or by the 
Portuguese. 

When the delegation from the English Society of Friends visited 
Bio de Janeiro in 1852, they were waited upon by a deputation of 
eight or ten Mina negroes. They had earned money by hard 
labor and had purchased their freedom, and were now desirous of 
returning to their native land. They had funds for paying their 
passage back again to Africa, but wished to know if the coast were 
really free from the slavers. Sixty of their companions had left 
Bio de Janeiro for Badagry (coast of Benin) the year before, and 
had landed in safety. The good Quakers could scarcely credit this 
last information, thinking it almost impossible that any who had 
once been in servitude " should have been able and bold enough to 
make so perilous an experiment;" but the statement of the Minas 
was confirmed by a Bio ship-broker, who put into the hands of the 
Friends a copy of the charter under which the sixty Minas sailed, 
and which showed that they had paid four thousand dollars passage- 
money. (See Appendix.) A few days after this interview, Messrs. 
Candler & Burgess received from these fine-looking specimens of 
humanity "a paper beautifully written in Arabic by one of their 
chiefs, who is a Mohammedan/' 

In Bio the blacks belong to many tribes, some being hostile 
to each other, having different usages and languages. The Mina 
negroes still remain Mohammedans, but the others are nominal 
Boman Catholics. 

Many of them, however, continue their heathen practices. In 
1839, Dr. Kidder witnessed in Engenho Velho a funeral, which was 
of the same kind as those curious burial-customs which the African 
traveller beholds on the Gaboon Biver. You can scarcely look 
into a basket in which the quitandeiras carry fruit without seeing 
a fetisch. The most common is a piece of charcoal, with which, the 
abashed darkey will inform you, the "evil eye" is driven away. 



English Slave-holders. 137 

There is a singular secret society among the negroes, in which the 
highest rank is assigned to the man who has taken the most lives. 
They are not so numerous as formerly, but from time to time harm 
the unoffending. These blacks style themselves capoeiros, and 
during a festa they will rush out at night and rip up any other 
black they chance to meet. They rarely attack the whites, know 
ing, perhaps, that it would cost them too dearly. 

The Brazilians are not the only proprietors of slaves in the 
Empire. There are many Englishmen who have long held Africans 
in bondage, — some for a series of years, and others have purchased 
slaves since 1843, when what is called the Lord Brougham Act 
was passed. By this act it is made unlawful for Englishmen to 
buy or sell a slave in any land, and by holding property in man 
they are made liable, were they in England, to prosecution in 
criminal courts. The English mining-company, whose stockholders 
are in Great Britain, but whose field of operations is S. Joao del 
Eey in Brazil, own about eight hundred slaves, and hire one thou- 
sand more. 1865, the English government remedied this. 

Frenchmen and Germans also purchase slaves, although they 
have not given up allegiance to their respective countries. 

If it be asked, " Who will be the laborers in Brazil when slavery 
is no more?" the reply is, that, though the slave's bonds are 
broken, the man, and a better man, still exists; and emigrants will 
come from Germany, Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira. There is 
a moderate yet steacly stream of emigration into Brazil. 

It is a striking fact that emigrants did not begin to arrive from 
Europe by thousands until 1852. In 1850 and '51 the African slave- 
trade was annihilated, and in the succeeding year commenced the 
present comparatively vigorous colonization. Each year the number 
of colonists is increasing, but old and narrow laws and the grasping 
selfishness of speculators have greatly impeded emigration. There 
is great reform needed here, and the complaints from Germany and 
England will hasten reform. 

Almost every step in Brazilian progress has been prepared by a 
previous gradual advance: she did not leap at once into self- 
government. She was raised from a colonial state by the residence 
of the Court from Lisbon, and enjoyed for years the position of 
a constituent portion of the Kingdom of Portugal. The present 
peaceful state of the Empire under D. Pedro II. was preceded by 



138 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the decade in which the capabilities of the people for self-govern- 
ment were developed under the Regencj^. The effectual breaking 
up of the African slave-trade was but the precursor of a more import- 
ant step, and that step was taken by the Emancipation laws of 1871. 
Slavery is doomed in Brazil. As has already been exhibited, when 
freedom is once obtained, it may be said in general that no social 
hinderances, as in the United States, can keep down a man of 
merit. Such hinderances do exist in our country. From the warm 
regions of Texas to the coldest corner of New England the free 
black man, no matter how gifted, experiences obstacles to his eleva- 
tion which are insurmountable. Across that imaginary line which 
separates the Union from the possessions of Great Britain, the 
condition of the African, socially considered, is not much superior. 
The Anglo-Saxon race, on this point, differs essentially from the 
Latin nations. The former may be moved to generous pity for 
the negro, but will not yield socially. The latter, both in Europe 
and the two Americas, have always placed merit before color. 
Dumas, the mulatto novel-writer, is as much esteemed in France 
as Dickens or Thackeray are in England. An instance came under 
my own observation which confirms most strongly the remark 
made above. In 1849, it was my privilege to attend with a large 
number of foreigners a soiree in Paris, given by M. de Tocqueville, 
then French Minister of Foreign Affairs. I was introduced to a 
visitor from the United States, who for the first time looked upon 
the scenes of the gay capital, and as we proceeded to the refresh- 
ment-room his arm rested on mine. I found that this clergyman, 
by his intelligence, common sense, and modesty, commanded the 
admiration of all with whom he came in contact. A few weeks 
afterward a European university of high repute honored him with 
the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In England he was looked upon 
with interest and curiosity; but, had he proposed a social alliance 
equal to his own station, I doubt if success would have attended 
his offer. In 1856, the same clergyman was ejected from a New 
York railway-omnibus, by a conductor who daily permitted, with- 
out molestation, filthy foreigners of the lowest European class 
to occupy seats in the identical car. When the matter was 
submitted to the courts of justice, the decision sustained the 
conductor. There was no attempt to place the case on any 



Slavery. 139 

other ground than that the plaintiff was a man of African descent. 
No such decision could ever have been made in Brazil, and since 1861 
no such verdict could be rendered in the United States. 

I am happ3 r to say that on the 28th of September, 1871, a law was 
passed for the gradual abolition of slavery. Children born after 
that date are free, though liable to apprenticeship. The same act 
emancipated the Government slaves. Seven years previous to this 
the Emperor, who has alwa} T s taken the side of freedom, liberated his 
private slaves, and many Brazilians, after 1871, followed his example. 
To the Visconde do Rio Branco belongs the honor of introducing 
the law that gives slavery its death-blow. In 1902 slavery ceases 
by law. It will die much sooner. The first five lines of page 133 
were written in 1857. 1902 is less than half a century. 

Note for 1879. — In 1866 I wrote the following note on the subject of slavery : 
" The laws and the treatment of slaves have greatly changed for the better 
since 1850. It is estimated that, by the emancipation by will, by the pur- 
chasing of their own freedom, and by the liberation of what were termed 
Africanos Ucros, (those taken from captured slave- vessels and apprenticed out for 
fourteen years,) the number of slaves has decreased one million, so that to-day 
there are not 2,000,000 at the highest calculation. Slavery is now mostly con- 
fined to the central sea-coast provinces. But the emancipated were not lost to 
labor, as some of the advocates of slavery would have us believe. From 1850 to 
I860, inclusive, the great tropical staples of coffee, sugar, cotton, and tobacco 
actually increased more than 30 per cent. One of the latest notable cases of 
emancipation was by the Emperor, who, on the occasion of the marriage (October 16, 
1864) of the Imperial Princess to the Count d'Eu, liberated the slaves that were 
hers by dower. Sr. Silveira da Motta repeatedly brought in bills to limit slavery ; 
and in the session of 1865, after the collapse of the so-called Confederate 
States, his efforts, with those of the venerable Senator Visconde de Jequitinhonha, 
have brought this subject most prominently before the Brazilian people ; and 
slavery will doubtless soon be so limited by law that it will be extinguished at an 
early date. A. C. Tavares Bastos, in the Chamber of Deputies, has been a per- 
severing advocate of emancipation." 

Now I can write that in 1871, the act looking to the gradual abolition of slavery, 
although far from being perfect, was passed after great deliberation. The Visconde 
de Jequitinhonha and Tavares Bastos and many other friends of the slave are 
already in their graves, but the noble work which they aided in initiating is bravely 
going on. Some of the conditions concerning the apprenticeship of those born 
after 1871 seem hard, but it is evident from the fact that so many are voluntarily 
manumitted, and others by funds voted by Government for that purpose, that 
slaverv will end before 1902. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

RELIGION — THE CORRUPTION OP THE CLERGY — MONSIGNOR BEDINI — TOLERATIOK 

AMONG THE BRAZILIANS THE PADRE FESTIVALS CONSUMPTION OF WAX — 

THE INTRUDO — PROCESSIONS — ANJINHOS — SANTA PRISCILLIANA — THE CHOLERA 
NOT CURED BY PROCESSIONS. 

The "Koman Catholic Apostolic" is the religion of the State in 
Brazil ; yet, by the liberal Constitution, and by the equally-liberal 
sentiments of the Brazilians, all other denominations have the 
right to worship God as they choose, whether in public or in 
private, with the single limitation that the church-edifice must 
not be exterior de templo, — in the form of a temple, — which has 
been defined by the supreme judges to be a building "without 
steeples or bells." Eoman Catholicism in Brazil has never been 
subject to the influences with which it has had to contend in 
Europe since the Eeformation. It was introduced contempora- 
neously with the first settlement of the country as a colony, and 
for three hundred years has been left to a perfectly free and 
untrammelled course. It has had the opportunity of exerting its 
very best influences on the minds of the people, and of arriving at 
its highest degree of perfection. In pomp and display it is unsur- 
passed even in Italy. The greatest defender of the Church of 
Eome must admit that South America has been a fair field for his 
ecclesiastical polity; and if his religion could have made a people 
great, enlightened, and good, it has had the power to have made 
Spanish and Portuguese America a moral, as it is a natural, Para- 
dise. Spain and Portugal, at the time of the appropriation of their 
possessions in the New World, were equal, if not superior, to the 
English in all the great enterprises of the fifteenth and sixteenth 
centuries : but how widely different have been the results which 
have flowed from the colonies founded by both ! Brazil is in every 
respect the superior State of South America just so far as she has 

abandoned the exclusiveness of Eomanism. Since the Independ- 
140 



Corruption of the Priesthood. 141 

ence, the priest-power has been broken, and the potent hierarchy 
of Eome does not rule over the consciences and acts of men as in 
Chili or Mexico. On numerous occasions, measures have been 
taken in the Assemblea Geral to curtai} the assumptions of the 
triple-crowned priest of the Eternal City; and once,* at least, it 
was proposed to render the Brazilian Church independent of the 
Holy See. 

It may be said that the advancement in liberality which the 
Empire has displayed has been owing to political considerations. 
Granted : but every reader of history knows that the commence- 
ment of the English Eeformation was largely implicated with 
politics, and England's independence of the Papal power was the 
beginning of her greatness as a state, and paved the way for the 
rapid moral advancement which characterizes England to-day. 

In Brazil, however, other than political views must be taken of 
the present freedom from bigotry. The priests, to some extent, 
owe the loss of their power to their shameful immorality. There 
is no class of men in the whole Empire whose lives and practices 
are so corrupt as those of the priesthood. It is notorious. The 
Relatorios (messages) of the Minister of Justice and the Provincial 
Presidents annually allude to this state of things. Every news- 
paper from time to time contains articles to this effect; every man, 
whether high or low, speaks his sentiments most unreservedly on 
this point; no traveller, whether Eomanist or Protestant, can shut 
his eye to the glaring facts. In every part of Brazil that I have 
visited I have heard, from the mouths of the ignorant as well as 
from the lips of the educated, the same sad tale; and, what is 
worse, in many places the priests openly avow their shame. Dr. 
Gardner, the naturalist, lived in Brazil from 1836 to '41, and the 
greater part of that time in the interior, where foreigners are very 
rarely found. In speaking of the banishment of the laborious and 
indefatigable Jesuits, whose lives in this portion of America were 
without reproach, this distinguished botanist says, "What different 
men they must have been from the degraded race who now under- 
take the spiritual welfare of this nation ! It is a hard thing to say, 



* This was during the Regency, when Padre Antonio Maria de Moura was nomi- 
nated to the vacant bishopric of Rio de Janeiro. 



142 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

but I do it not without well considering the nature of the asser- 
tion, that the present clergy of Brazil are more debased and immoral 
than any other class of men."* 

Though we should lament immorality in any man or class of 
men, yet the combination of circumstances mentioned has had ite 
effect in rendering the people, as well as the Government, tolerant. 

A few years ago, Monsignor Bedini (Archbishop of Thebes, and 
once Pope's Legate in the United States and in other partibus infi- 
delium) was the Nuncio of Pius IX. at the Court of Brazil. In 
July, 1846, the nuncio went to the mountain-city of Petropolis, 
(about forty miles from Bio,) where are many German Protestants, 
who have a chapel of their own, which, as well as the chapels in 
other colonies, is protected under the broad shield of the Constitu- 
tion, and receives a portion of its support directly from the Govern- 
ment. There had been certain mixed marriages; and Monsignor 
preached a furious sermon, in which he declared that all Bomanists 
so allied were living in concubinage, — their marriages were void, and 
their children illegitimate. A storm of indignation, both at Petro- 
polis and Bio, fell upon the head of the nuncio, whose arrival in 
Brazil had been preceded by the rumor of an assurance to the Pope 
that he would bind this Empire " faster than ever to the chair of 
St. Peter." One of the first papers of Bio, a conservative journal 
always considered the quasi organ of the Government, denounced 
M. Bedini in firm but respectful language, and insisted that it was 



* I was once dining with a Roman Catholic gentleman in the province of Rio de 
Janeiro, and, of his own accord, he s$id to me, " How can I obey the injunctions 
of my priest ? he reads us the Decalogue, and yet he is the greatest breaker of the 
seventh commandment." In the province of Bahia I made the acquaintance of a 
Roman Catholic who had a number of female operatives under his charge, and a 
chapel connected with his establishment. The priest (who was one of the few 
moral ecclesiastics in Brazil) died. The proprietor then made known his wish for 
a new chaplain. Five candidates presented themselves. Four were men whose 
lives were of such a grossly-immoral character that I dare not insult my readers 
by the particulars which I received from a member of the Romish Church. The 
fifth was an old man of good repute, but not very active. As a dernier ressort he 
was engaged to fill the chaplaincy ; but only a few months elapsed before he was 
discovered to be living in open concubinage with an abandoned character, and on 
remonstrance would not give up this sinful union. 



Monsignor Bedini. 143 

the highest imprudence thus to kindle the fires of religious intole- 
rance. Its columns contained sentiments in regard to this subject 
of which the following is a specimen : — " Propositions like those 
emitted from the Chair of Truth by a priest of the character of 
K Bedini are eminently censurable.' 7 

The nuncio was put down, but not until one of his friends 
published what were probably the sentiments of Monsignor, in 
which he complains of the Emperor for "not taking sides in the 
controversy and using his influence to prevent the spread of 
Protestant heresies." 

There is no country in South America where the philan- 
thropist and the Christian have a freer scope for doing good 
than Brazil. So far from its being true that a Protestant clergy- 
man is always tabooed, and that the people " entertain a feeling 
toward him bordering on contempt," — as one writer on Brazil 
has expressed it, — I can testify to the strongest friendship formed 
with Brazilians in various portions of the Empire, — a friendship 
which did not become weakened by the contact of years or by 
the plain manifestations and defence of my belief; and I can 
subscribe to the remark put forth by my colleague in 1845, when 
he says, — 

"It is my firm conviction that there is not a .Roman Catholic 
country on the globe where there prevails a greater degree of 
toleration or a greater liberality of feeling toward Protestants. 

"I will here state, that in all my residence and travels in Brazil 
in the character of a Protestant missionary, I never received the 
slightest opposition or indignity from the people. As might have 
been expected, a few of the priests made all the opposition they 
could j but the circumstance that these were unable to excite the 
people showed how little influence they possessed. On the other 
hand, perhaps quite as many of the clergy, and those of the most 
respectable in the Empire, manifested toward us and our work both 
favor and friendship. 

"From them, as well as from the intelligent laity, did we often 
hear the severest reprehension of abuses that were tolerated in the 
religious system and practices of the country, and sincere regrets 
that no more spirituality pervaded the public mind." 

To one who looks alone at the empty and showy rites of the 



144 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Eoman Catholic Church in Brazil, there is no future for the 
country. But when we consider the liberal and tolerant senti- 
ments that prevail, — when we reflect upon the freedom of debate, 
the entire liberty of the press, the diffusion of instruction, and the 
workings of their admirable Constitution, — we cannot believe that 
future generations of Brazilians will retrograde. They have shown 
spirit in maintaining their civil rights against ecclesiastical assump- 
tion. In 1870, the Bishops of Pernambuco, two reactionaries of the 
worst type, undertook to forbid the burial of Masons, and to make 
their decrees ride over civil law. They were arrested, tried, and 
condemned to prison and hard labor in 1874. 

A faithful narrator cannot pass over this subject without giving 
a brief notice of some of the peculiarities connected with worship 

at the capital, which, to a 
certain extent, are those 
witnessed in every pro- 
vince of the Empire. 

There is no mistaking 
a priest or any species 
of ecclesiastics in Brazil. 
The frades, (monks,) the 
Sisters of Charity, as well 
as the priests, have their 
peculiar costumes, — most 
of them exceedingly incon- 
venient in a warm climate. 
You cannot be an hour in 
the streets of Bio de Ja- 
neiro without beholding 
the padre, with his large 
hat and his closely-but- 
toned and long gown, 
moving along with per- 
fect composure under a 
hot sun that makes every 
one else swelter. In the churches, where there generally pervades 
a cool atmosphere, the padre, with his uncovered, tonsured head, 
with his thin gowns and airy laces, seems prepared for a tropic 




M/y- M&V-SNY0£fi 



THE PADRE. 



The Padre. 145 

clime ; but, when the mass is said and his duties are finished, he 
doffs bis garment of common-sense thickness and dons that which 
would be comfortable in a Northern winter. 

The padre's office is not onerous in Brazil, unless he choose to 
make it such ; and very few are thus inclined. There are no poor 
families to visit through rude snow-storms; there is no particular 
cure of souls, beyond repeating masses in the cool of the morning, 
the carrying of the Host to the hopeless sick, and attendance 
at a funeral, for which the carriage and fee are always provided. 
The confessional does not trouble him greatly, for the people 
are not much given to confession, knowing too well the charac- 
ter of the confessor. If he is of an ambitious turn of mind, he 
becomes a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, — perchance he 
succeeds in securing a seat in the Senate, — and there he will pour 
out more eloquence, in ore rotundo Lusitanian, than he has ever 
delivered from the pulpit. Perhaps formerly his heaviest duties 
were in getting up festivals. They have been wonderfully abridged 
as to number, but still there is a very respectable share of them, 
which gives work to the padres and the alms-collectors, and holi- 
days to clerks, school-children, and slaves. 

Bishop Manuel do Monte Eoderigues d'Araujo, when professor at 
Olinda, published a compendium of moral theology, and he states 
that the number of holidays observed in the Empire of Brazil is 
the same as that decreed by Pope Urban VIII. in 1642, with the 
addition of one in honor of the patron saint of each province, city, 
town, and parish, for which Urban 's decree also provides. These 
holidays are divided into two general classes : — Dias santos de 
guar da, or whole holidays, in which it is not lawful to work; and 
Dias santos dispensados, or half-holidays, in which the ecclesiastical 
laws require attendance upon mass, but allow the people to labor. 
The number of the former varies from twenty to twenty-five, 
according as certain anniversaries fall on a Sabbath or on a 
weekday; while the number of the latter is from ten to fifteen. 
The celebration of these holidays by festivals and processions 
engages universal attention throughout the country; and the 
North American is constantly reminded of the 4th of July 
minus the patriotic enthusiasm. The number of festivals were 
curtailed within a few years; yet some five or six during the 

10 



146 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

year arrest the course of commerce and material duties gene- 
rally. 

It is particularly observable that all the religious celebrations 
are deemed interesting and important in proportion to the pomp 
and splendor which they display. The desirableness of having all 
possible show and parade is generally the crowning argument 
urged in all applications for Government patronage, and in all 
appeals designed to secure the attendance and liberality of the 
people. 

The daily press of Rio de Janeiro must annually reap enormous 
sums for religious advertisements, of which I give one or two 
specimens. 

The announcement of a festival in the Church of Santa Eita is 
thus concluded : — 

" This festa is to be celebrated with high mass and a sermon, at the expense of 
the devotees of the said Virgin, the Most Holy Mother of Grief, who are all invited 
by the Board to add to the splendor of the occasion by their presence, since they 
will receive from the above-named Lady due reward." 

The following is the advertisement of a festa up the bay, at 
Estrella, and is as clumsily put together in Portuguese as it appears 
in the literal English translation which I have given : — 

" The Judge and some devout persons of the Church of Our Lady of Estrella, 
erected in the village of the same name, intend to hold a festival there, with a 
chanted mass, sermon, procession in the afternoon, and a Te Deum, — all with the 
greatest pomp possible, — on the 23d instant ; and at night there will be a beautiful 
display of fireworks. The managers of the feast have asked the Director of the 
Inhomerim Steamboat Company to put on an extra steamer that will leave the 
Praia dos Mineiros at eight o'clock in the morning and return after the fireworks. 

"It is requested that all the devotees will deign to attend this solemn act, to 

render it of the most brilliant description. 

"Francisco Pereira Ramos, Secretary. 
"Estrella, Sept. 17." 

The following will be to Northern Christians as novel as it is 
irreverent : — 

"The Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Ghost of San Goncalo (a small village across 
the bay) will hold the feast of the Holy Ghost, on the 31st instant, with all possible 
splendor. Devout persons are invited to attend, to give greater pomp to this act 
of religion. On the 1st proximo there will be the feast of the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, with a procession in the evening, a Te Deum, and a sermon. On the 2d, — tho 



Festivals, and Consumption of "Wax. 147 

feast of the patron of San Gon9alo, — at three p.m. there will be brilliant horse- 
racing [!] ; after which, a Te Deum and magnificent fireworks." 

But it is not the Church alone which advertises the festas. The 

tradesmen, having an eye to business, freely make known their 

ecclesiastic wares through the agency of public journals. The 
following is a specimen : — 

"Notice to the Illustrious Preparers of the Festival of the Holy Spirit. — In the Run 
dos Ourives, No. 78, may be found a beautiful assortment of Holy Ghosts, in gold, 
with glories, at eighty cents each ; smaller sizes, without glories, at forty cents ; 
silver Holy Ghosts, with glories, at six dollars and a half per hundred ; ditto, with- 
out glories, three dollars and a half; Holy Ghosts of tin, resembling silver, seventy- 
five cents per hundred." 

The language of the last two advertisements seems to us like 
blasphemy; but, with the Brazilian public, there is a levity and a 
want of veneration in holy things shocking to all whose religious 
impressions are derived from the word of God. 

In some particulars the festivals of all the saints are alike. They 
are universally announced, on the day previous, by a discharge 
of skyrockets at noon and by the ringing of bells at evening. 
During ihefesta, also, — whether it continue one day or nine, — the 
frequent discharge of rockets is kept up. These missiles are so 
constructed as to explode high up in the air, with a crackling 
souna, after which they descend in beautiful curves of white smoke 
if in 1he daytime, or like meteoric showers if at night. Dr. Walsh, 
who had resided a number of years in Turkey, thought that the 
Brazilians quite equalled the Turks of Constantinople in their fond- 
ness for exploding gunpowder on festival occasions. He, more- 
over, gives an estimate, by which it would appear that "about 
seventy-five thousand dollars are annually expended in Eio for 
gunrowder and wax, — the two articles which enter so largely into 
all these exhibitions of pomp and splendor." The wax is con- 
sumsd in vast quantities of candles that are kept burning before 
the different shrines, interspersed with artificial flowers and other 
decorations. 

Great care is bestowed upon this manner of adorning churches, 
by day as well as by night. Sometimes regular rows of blazing 
takers are so arranged in front of the principal altars as to present 
the appearance of semicones and pyramids of light streaming from 



148 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the floor to the roof of the edifice. These tapers are all made 
of wax, imported from the coast of Africa for this express use. 
No animal-oils are used in the churches of Brazil : that which sup- 
plies the lamps is made from the olive or from the palm-nut. The 
tapers are manufactured from vegetable and bees' wax. 

Nothing is more imposing than the chief altar of the Candellaria 
Church, when illuminated by a thousand perfumed tapers, which 
shed their light amid vases of the most gorgeous flowers. Dr. 
Walsh states that on a certain occasion he counted in the chapel of 
S. Antonio eight hundred and thirty large wax flambeaux burning 
at once, and the same night, in that of the Terceira do Carmo, 
seven hundred and sixty; so that, in consideration of the number 
of chapels from time to time illuminated in a similar way, his 
estimate hardly appears extravagant. 

Sometimes, on the occasion of these festivals, a stage is erected 
in the church, or in the open air near by, and a species of dramatic 
representation is enacted for the amusement of the spectators. At 
other times an auction is held, at which a great variety of objects, 
that have been provided for the occasion by purchase or gift, are 
sold to the highest bidder. The auctioneer generally manages to 
keep the crowd around him in a roar of laughter, and, it is 
presumed, gets paid in proportion to the interest of his entertain- 
ment. 

Epiphany is celebrated in January, and is styled the day of 
kings. The occurrence of this holiday is not likely to escape the 
mind of the most indifferent, for in the morning your butcher 
kindly sends your beef gratis. The festa on that day is in the 
Imperial Chapel, the Emperor and Court being in attendance to 
give it a truly royal character. The 20th of January is St. Sebas- 
tian's day, on which it is customary to honor the "glorious 
patriarch" under whose protection the Indians and the French 
were routed, and the foundations of the city laid. The members 
of the municipal chamber, or city fathers, take especial interest in 
this celebration, and by virtue of their office have the privilege of 
carrying the image of the saint in procession from the Imperial 
Chapel to the old Cathedral. 

The Intrudo, answering to the Carnival in Italy, extends through 
the three days preceding Lent, and is generally entered upon bf 



The Intrudo. 149 

the people with ail apparent determination to redeem time for 
amusement in advance of the long restraint anticipated. 

The Intrudo, however, is no more celebrated as it was when 1 
first went to Eio. It was then a saturnalia of the most liquid 
character, and every one, — men, women, and children, — gave them- 
selves up to it with an abandon most strongly in contrast with 
their usual apparent stiffness and inactivity. Before it was sup- 
pressed by the police it was a marked event. It was not with 
showers of sugar-plums that persons were saluted on the days of 
the Intrudo, but with showers of oranges and eggs, or rather of 
waxen balls made in the shape of oranges and eggs, but filled with 
water. These articles were prepared in immense quantities 
beforehand, and exposed for sale in the shops and streets. The 
shell was of sufficient strength to admit of being hurled a consi- 
derable distance, but at the moment of collision it broke to pieces, 
bespattering whatever it hit. "Unlike the somewhat similar sport 
of snowballing in cold countries, this jogo was not confined to 
boys or to the streets, but was played in high life as well as in low, 
in-doors and out. Common consent seemed to have given the 
license of pelting any one and every one at pleasure, whether 
entering a house to visit or walking in the streets. 

In fact, whoever went out at all on these days expected a duck- 
ing, and found it well to carry an umbrella; for in the enthusiasm 
of the game the waxen balls were frequently soon consumed : then 
came into play syringes, basins, bowls, and sometimes pails of 
water, which were plied without mercy until the parties were 
thoroughly drenched. 

Men and women perched themselves along the balconies and 
windows, from which they not only threw at each other, but also 
at the passers-by. So great indeed were the excesses which grew 
out of this sport that it was prohibited by law. The magis- 
trates of the different districts formally declared against the 
Intrudo from year to year, with but little effect until 1854, when a 
new chef de police with great energy put a stop to the violent 
Intrudo and its peltings and duckings. It is now conducted in a 
dry but humorous manner, more in the style of Paris and Home. 
The origin of the Intrudo was for a long; time considered to have 
some remote connection with baptism; but Mr. Ewbank has been 



150 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the first to trace clearly its beginning, and in a very interesting 
archaeological article follows it up to India, that storehouse of 
many of the practices of the Latin Church. 

The procession on Ash-Wednesday is conducted by the third 
order of Franciscans from the Chapel of the Misericordia, through 
the principal streets of the city, to the Convent of S. Antonio. 
Not less than from twenty to thirty stands of images are borne 
along on the shoulders of men. Some of these images are single; 
others are in groups, intended to illustrate various events of scrip- 
tural history or Roman Catholic mythology. The dress and orna- 
ments of these effigies are of the most gaudy kind. The platforms 
upon which they are placed are quite heavy, requiring four, six, 
and eight men to carry them; nor can all these endure the burden 
for a long time. They require to be alternated by as many others, 
who walk by their side like extra pall-bearers at a funeral. The 
streets are thronged with thousands of people, among whom are 
numbers of slaves, who seem highly amused to see their masters 
for once engaged in hard labor. The senhors indeed toil under 
their loads. The images pass into the middle of the street, with 
single files of men on either side, each one bearing a lighted torch 
or wax candle several feet in length. Before each group of images 
marches an angel (anjinho) led by a priest, scattering rose-leaves 
and flowers upon the path. 

As the reader may be anxious to know what kind of angels take 
part in these spectacles, I must explain that they are a class created 
for the occasion, to act as tutelary to the saints exhibited. Little 
girls, from eight to ten years old, are generally chosen to serve in 
this capacity, for which they are fitted out by a most fantastic 
dress. Its leading design seems to be to exhibit a body and wings ; 
wherefore the skirt and sleeves are expanded to enormous dimen- 
sions, by means of hoops and cane framework, over which flaunt 
silks, gauzes, ribbons, laces, tinsels, and plumes of diverse colors. 
On their head is placed a species of tiara. Their hair hangs in 
ringlets down their faces and necks, and the triumphal air with 
which they march along shows that they fully comprehend the 
honor they enjoy of being the principal objects of admiration. 

Military companies and bands of martial music lead and close 
up the procession. Its march is measured and slow, with frequent 



The Anjinho. 



151 



pauses, as well to give the burdened brethren time to breathe, 
as to give the people in the streets and windows opportunity to 
gaze and wonder. Few 
seem to look on with any 
very elevated emotions. 
All could see the same 
or kindred images in 
the churches when they 
please; and, if the design 
is to edify the people, a 
less troublesome and at 
the same time more effec- 
tual mode might easily be 
adopted. There appears 
but little solemnity con- 
nected with the scene, 
and most of that is shared 
by the poor brethren who 
tug and sweat under 
the platforms : even they 
occasionally endeavor to 
enliven each other's spirits 
by entering into conversa- 
tion and pleasantry when 
relieved by their alter- 
nates. 

When the Host is carried out on these and other occasions, but a 
small proportion of the people are seen to kneel as it passes, and 
no compulsion is used when any are disinclined to manifest that 
degree of reverence.* 




^v - 



THE ANJINHO. 



* In 1852 John Candler and Wilson Burgess, two philanthropic Englishmen 
belonging to the Society of Friends, went to Brazil for the purpose of presenting 
to the Emperor "an address on slavery and the slave-trade." Their singular cos- 
tume attracted much notice in the streets; "and on one occasion," they say in their 
narrative, "as we were walking in the Rua Direita, a Brazilian gentleman accosted 
us in imperfect English, informing us that he had been in England, and knew the 
Quakers. 'They [the Brazilians] ask me,' he continued, 'who you are; I tell 
them Friends, — very good people.' Finding him disposed to be familiar, we told 



152 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

No class enter into the spirit of these holiday parades with more 
zeal than the people of color. They are, moreover, specially 
complimented from time to time by the appearance of a colored 
saint, or of Nossa Senhora under an ebony skin. "La vera o meu 
parente," (There comes my kindred,) was the exclamation heard 
by Dr. Kidder from an old negro, as a colored effigy, with woolly 
hair and thick lips, came in sight; and in the overflow of his joy 
the old man had expressed the precise sentiment that is addressed 
by such appeals to the senses and feelings of the Africans. 

Palm Sunday in Brazil is celebrated with a taste and effect that 
cannot be surpassed by any artificial ornaments. The Brazilians 
are never indifferent to the vegetable beauties by which they are 
surrounded, since they make use of leaves, flowers, and branches 
of trees on almost every public occasion ; but on this anniversary 
the display of the real palm-branches is not only beautiful, but 
often grand. 

Holy Week, by which Lent is terminated, is chiefly devoted to 
religious services designed to commemorate the history of our 
Lord; but so modified by traditions, and mystified by the excess of 
ceremonies, that few, by means of these, can form any proper 
idea of what really took place before the crucifixion of Christ. 
The days are designed in the calendar as Wednesday of darkness, 
Thursday of anguish, Friday of passion, and Hallelujah Saturday. 

Maunday Thursday, as the English render it, is kept from the 
noon of that day till the following noon. The ringing of bells and 
the explosion of rockets are now suspended. The light of day is 
excluded from all the churches; the temples are illuminated within 



him we were seeking the National Library. ' I will go with you,' he said. Taking 
us by the arm, he took us by a narrow paved court-way which we had just avoided. 
A Roman Catholic church, in which high mass was performing, opened by its 
principal entrance into the court, and a number of persons stood bareheaded before 
the doors. We requested him not to take us that way, as we could not take off 
oar hats in honor of the service, and we desired not to give offence. ' Never mind,' 
was his rejoinder; 'leave that to me.' On coming to the people he took off his 
own hat, and as we passed through them he said. ' These are my friends ; you 
must give dispensation;' and we were suffered to go on without molestation. Such 
dispensation is not permitted in Portugal." — Narrative of a recent visit to Brazil by 
John Candler and Wilson Burgess. London, 1853: Edward Marsh. 



An Imposing Procession. 153 

by wax tapers, in the midst of which, on the chief altars, the Host 
is exposed. Two men stand in robes of red or purple silk to watch 
it. In some churches the effigy of the body of Christ is laid under 
a small cloister, with one hand exposed, which the crowd kiss, 
depositing money on a silver dish beside it at the same time. At 
night the people promenade the streets and visit the churches. 
This is also an occasion for a general interchange of presents, and 
is turned greatly to the benefit of the female slaves, who are 
allowed to prepare and sell confectionery for their own emolument. 
Friday continues silent, and a funeral-procession, bearing a repre- 
sentation of the body of Christ, is borne through the streets. At 
night occurs a sermon, and another procession, in which anjinhos, 
decked out as has already been described, bear emblematic devices 
alluding to the crucifixion. One carries the nails, another the ham- 
mer, a third the sponge, a fourth the spear, a fifth the ladder, and 
a sixth the cock that gave the warning to Peter. Never are the 
balconies more crowded than on this occasion. There is an interest 
to behold one's own children performing a part, which draws out 
hundreds of families who otherwise might remain at home. There 
is no procession more beautiful and imposing than this. As I gazed 
at the long line of the gown-clad men, bearing in one hand an im- 
mense torch, and leading by the other a brightly-decked anjinho, — 
as from time to time I saw the images of those who were active or 
silent spectators of that sad scene which was presented on Calvary 
eighteen hundred years ago, — as I beheld the soldiers, helmet in 
hand and their arms reversed, marching with slow and measured 
tread, — as I heard the solemn chant issuing from the voice of child- 
hood, or as the majestic minor strains of the marche funebre wailed 
upon the night-air, — the aesthetic feelings were powerfully moved. 
But when a halt occurred, and I witnessed the levity and the utter 
indifference of the actors, the effect on myself vanished, and ] 
could at once see that the intended effect upon the multitudes in 
the street and in the neighboring balconies was entirely lost.* 

* In Brazil, all veneration is taken away by the familiarity of the most sacred 
things of our holy religion. At Bahia I learned, through a number of Roman Ca- 
tholic gentlemen, of an occurrence which took place in 1855, in the province of 
Sergipe del Rey. It was at a festival, and there was to be a powerful sermon 



154 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Hallelujah Saturday is better known as " Judas's day," on account 
of the numerous forms in which that "inglorious patriarch" is 
made to suffer the vengeance of the people. Preparations having 
been made beforehand, rockets are fired in front of the churches at 
a particular stage of the morning service. This explosion indicates 
that the hallelujah is being chanted. The sport now begins forth- 
with in every part of the town. The effigies of poor Judas become 
the objects of all species of torment. They are hung, strangled, and 
drowned. In short, the traitor is shown up in fireworks and fan- 
tastic figures of every description, in company with dragons, 
serpents, and the devil and his imps, which pounce upon him. 




KILLING JUDAS. 



Besides the more formal and expensive preparations that are 
made for this celebration by public subscription, the boys and the 
negroes have their Judases, whom they do feloniously and mali- 



preached on the crucifixion. A civilized Indian, by the promise of muita cachaga, 
(plenty of rum,) consented to personify our Saviour on the cross. His position 
was a trying one, and at the foot of the crucifix stood a bucket filled with rum, 
in which was a sponge attached to a long reed. The individual whose duty it 
was to refresh the caboclo forgot his office while carried away by the florid elo- 
quence of the Padre. The Indian, however, did not forget his contract, and, to the 
astonishment as well as amusement of the audience, shouted out, " Senhor Judeo, 
Sbnhor Judeio, mats fel!" (0 Mr. Jew, Mister Jew, a little more gall !) 



Collections and Collectors. 



155 



«£> 



ciously drag about with ropes, hang, beat, punch, stone, burn, and 
drown, to their hearts' content. 

Lent being over, Easter Sunday is ushered in by the quick and 
joyous strains of music from fine bands or large orchestras; by 
illuminating the churches with unwonted splendor; and by the 
triumphal discharge of rockets in the air, and of artillery from the 
fjrts and batteries. 

On Whitsunday the great feast of the Holy Spirit is celebrated. 
In preparation for this, begging-processions go through the streets, 
a long while in advance, in order to secure funds. In these expedi- 
tions the collectors wear a red scarf (capa) over their shoulders : 
the}- make quite a display of flags, on which forms of a dove are 
embroidered, surrounded by a halo or gloria. Thewe are handed in 
at windows and doors, and waved to individuals to kiss: they are 
followed by the silver plate 

or silk bag, which receives , <?• 

the donation that is ex- 
pected from all those, at 
least, who kiss the emblem. 
The public are duly no- 
tified of the approach of 
these august personages 
b} T the music of a band of 
tatterdemalion negroes, or 
by the songs and tambour- 
ine accompaniments of 
sprightly boys who some- 
times carry the banner. 

Collections of this stamp 
are very frequent in the 
cities of Brazil, inasmuch 
as some festa is always in 
anticipation. Generally a 
miniature image of the 
saint whose honor is con- 
templated is handed around 

with much formality, as the great argument in favor of a donation. 
The devotees hasten to kiss the image, and sometimes call up their 




COLLECTORS FOR CHURCH FESTIVALS. 



156 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

children and pass it round to the lips of each. These collectors, 
and a class of females called beatas, at times become as troublesome 
as were the common beggars before they were accommodated at 
the House of Correction. Occasionally but one or two of these indi- 
viduals go around, crying out, with a most nasal twang, in the street 
and at every corner, " Esmolas [alms] para nossa Senhora" of this 
or that church. (1866, this begging is greatly curtailed.) 

On the preceding page we behold a pair of these semi-ecclesi- 
astic gentlemen-beggars who may be seen returning along the Praia 
da Santa Luzia after one of their collecting-excursions. 

The expeditions for Espirito Santo assume a very peculiar and 
grotesque character in remote sections of the Empire. The late 
Senator Cunha Mattos describes them, in the interior, under the 
name of fulioes cavalgadas. He mentions in his Itinerario having 
met one between the rivers of S. Francisco and Paranahiba, com- 
posed of fifty persons, playing on violins, drums, and other instru- 
ments of music, to arouse the liberality if not the devotion of the 
people; and also prepared with leathern sacks and mules, to re- 
ceive and carry off pigs, hens, and whatever else might be given 
them. 

Among the Indians in the distant interior, the live animals are 
frequently promised beforehand to some particular saint; and often, 
when a traveller wishes to buy some provisions, he is assured, "That 
is St. John's pig;" or, " Those fowls belong to the Holy Ghost." 

The procession of Corpus Christi is different from most of the 
others. The only image exposed is that of St. George, who is set 
down in the calendar as the "defender of the Empire." How this 
"godly gentleman of Cappadocia" became the defender of Brazil 
I have not been able to ascertain; but his festival — falling as it 
does on Corpus Christi day — is celebrated w T ith great pomp. It is 
a daylight affair, and occurs in the i;>leasantest season of the year. 
St. George is always carried around the city on horseback. He is 
ruddy and of a fair countenance, with a flowing wig of flaxen curls 
floating on his shoulders. He flourishes in armour and a red velvet 
mantle. For the day some devout person of his name lends the 
saint his jewels; but when the festival is over he is stripped of his 
glories and put away for the moths till the following year. He is 
not remarkable for his horsemanship: his stiff legs stick out on 



Santa Prisctlliana. 



157 



H^ 



each side, and two men hold him to the saddle. If his prototype 
had been no better equestrian, the dragon would have been un- 
killed to the present day. 

The Emperor walks bareheaded, and carrying a candle, in this 
procession, in imitation of the piety of his ancestors, and is attended 
by the Court, the cavalheiros, or knights of the military orders, and 
the municipal chamber in full dress, with their insignia and badges 
of office. Whenever the Emperor goes out on these occasions, the 
inhabitants of the streets through which he is to pass rival each 
other in the display of rich silk and damask hangings from the 
windows and balustrades of their houses. 

In 1846, a certain Brazilian had the distinguished honor of trans- 
porting from Eome to Eio 
the holy ^remains of the 
r-virgin St. Priscil- 
This was deemed a 
mspicious acquisition 
e city by some, but 
by others it was highly 
condemned as an egregious 
humbug. Nevertheless, she 
was inaugurated. In order 
that the bones might not 
appear as repulsive as those 
of the renowned "eleven 
thousand virgins" in the 
Church of St. Ursula at 
Cologne, the frail remains 
of St. Priscilliana were en- 
cased in wax by some clever 
artist at Eome at the time 
her saintship was said to 
have been removed from 
the catacombs where she 
had been buried more than 
a thousand years ! 

St. Priscilliana' s likeness was engraved, and the picture was 
"exchanged;" and the above engraving is a fac-simile of the one 




SANTA PRISCILLIANA. 



158 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

" exchanged" while I resided in Eio de Janeiro. She is represented 
with a sword stuck unpleasantly through her delicate neck, which 
means, as the Bishop of Eio de Janeiro* hath it, that the Emperor 
Julian the Apostate had her put to death in this manner ! The 
erudite bishop does not give us any of his authorities; but the faithful 
are expected never to entertain the least doubt when a high prelate 
speaks. I know not what miracles she has performed at Eio, for 
very little is heard concerning her at present, and it is certain that 
she did not prevent the yellow fever and cholera from visiting the 
capital of the Empire. It may, however, be asserted, on the other 
hand, that this was not the department of St. Priscilliana ; as St. 
Sebastian is supposed to have the city under his especial charge. 

When the cholera visited the coast of Brazil, though not so fatal 
as in Europe and the United States, yet its ravages were somewhat 
extensive among the slaves, who had escaped the yellow fever 
which in former years had attacked the whites. When the chole 
made its appearance at Eio, the city was in a universal wl 
of terror: charms and amulets were eagerly sought after, and 
superstitious preventives were invented every hour. Prayers of 
saints were worn next to the skin, as they are among the Moham- 
medans of Arabia or the heathen of India. Badly-executed pic- 
tures of St. Sebastian were "exchanged" for a few vintems, and a 
star, with a prayer to the Yirgin Mary, called "The miraculous 
Star of Heaven," was considered a certain safeguard to any person 
who possessed it. Advertisements like the following appeared in 
the daily papers : — 



ORACAO PARA BENZER AS CASAS 

b 
contra a epidemia reinante, ornada de emblemas religiosos, 

troca-se por 80 rs., na Rua dos Latoeiros n. 59. 



"J Prayer for blessing residences against the reigning epidemic, 
adorned with religious emblems, is exchanged for four cents at No. 
59 Eua dos Latoeiros." 

* Pastoral letter published March, 1846, at Rio de Janeiro. Also Noticia Historica 
da Santa Priscilliana in the Annuario do Brazil for 1846. 



Panic from the Cholera. 159 

The succeeding announcement, however, must have been from 
some money-making fellow without church-policy in his head, 
or he would have advertised his holy ware as troca-se instead 
of vende-se. 



PALAVRAS SANTISSSMAS 



ARMAS DA ICrHEJA 

contra o terrivel flagello da peste, com a qual se tern appla- 
cado a Divina Justica, como se vio no caso que succedeu no 
real mosteiro de Santa Clara de Coimbra em 1480. Vende-se 
na Rua da Quitanda n. 174. Pre9o, 320 rs. 



[Translation.] "Most holy words and arms of the Church against 
the terrible scourge of the pest, with which Divine Justice chas- 
tises, as seen in the case which succeeded in the royal monastery 
of St. Claire of Coimbra in 1480. To be sold at No. 174 Eua da 
Quitanda. Price, 16 cents." 

What the medical faculties of Rio de Janeiro and Bahia and 
other eminent physicians elsewhere thought of such remedies we 
know not ; but we believe that both they and many of the people 
of Rio de Janeiro looked upon this religious quackery in the right 
light. Nevertheless, there was, in the general alarm, a great 
summoning of the church militant, and the newspapers of Septem- 
ber, 1855, are full of long-sentenced notices of penitential proces- 
sions. 

Such appeals to the faithful were not in vain. The images were 
removed and carried through the streets; and torchlight-proces- 
sions of immense length — in which marched delicate ladies bare- 
foot — were of frequent occurrence. With all these precautions, the 
pestilence did not cease, though business went on as usual. Common 
sense, however, had not left Rio, notwithstanding the panic which 
prevailed. The secular authorities, urged on by the able editor of 
the principal newspaper of the city, at last forbade all processions, 
as the exposure consequent thereon tended to promote the spread 



160 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of disease; so the saints had no more promenades by lamplight, 
and the young ladies kept their bare feet at home. 

It is pleasing to contemplate at this crisis the conduct of the 
monarch. The Emperor and his family remained at their palace 
near the city, in order to inspirit the people, although it was the 
usual time of removal to their mountain-residence of Petropolis. 
His Majesty visited the hospitals, and superintended the sanatory 
regulations, besides contributing largely to the fund for the sick 
poor. 

We cannot devote more space to religion in Brazil, — this interest- 
ing but painful subject, — painful to every true Christian and well- 
wisher to his race. If we look at Brazil in the point de vue religieuse, 
we are overwhelmed at the amount of ignorance and superstition 
that prevails. Let any one read Mr. Ewbank's Sketches, and they 
will see, archseologically considered, how close is the relation be- 
tween heathen Borne and Christian Borne. If we grant that this 
corrupt church at one time had the only light and knowledge, 
there is no necessity that we should remain in modified darkness 
or use the glimmer of lamplight when we may have the clear efful- 
gence of the noonday sun. May that light beam upon Brazil ! 



Note for 1866. — There are several native Protestant churches now in Brazil. 
The regularly ordained pastors of these churches are legally authorized to per- 
form the marriage ceremony. The clause of the constitution in regard to religious 
toleration has been fully tested on three different occasions, and is shown to be 
a "living letter." — The Imprensa Evangelica is the bi-monthly religious journal 
of the Protestants at Rio published under the auspices of the Presbyterian Mission- 
aries has been reasonably successful. Several faithful preachers of the gospel 
from Europe and North America are now laboring with encouraging success. The 
most flourishing missions are those of the Presbyterian Board of the United States, 
begun by the late Rev. A. G. Simonton and continued by Revs. Blackford, Cham- 
berlain, Schneider, and others ; they have more than realized the hopes enter- 
tained by the most sanguine friends. There are several flourishing churches and 
schools in the provinces of Rio de Janeiro, San Paulo, Minas Geraes, and Bahia. 
The Emperor on a trip to San Paulo in September, 1878, visited the Protestant 
school under the direction of Rev. Mr. Howell, and his Majesty openly declared 
that it was the best school of its grade that he had ever seen. There are also suc- 
cessful missions under the auspices of the Presbyterian Southern Board, and we 
note especially the church and school at Campinas begun under the direction of 
Rev. Mr. Morton. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE HOME-FEELING BRAZILIAN HOUSES — THE GIRL — THE WIFE — THE MOTHER — 

MOORISH JEALOUSY — DOMESTIC DUTIES MILK-CART ON LEGS BRAZILIAN LADY'S 

DELIGHT — HER TROUBLES THE MARKETING AND WATERING KILL THE BIXO 

BOSTON APPLES AND ICE — FAMILY RECREATIONS — THE BOY — THE COLLEGIO — 

COMMON-SCHOOLS HIGHEST ACADEMIES OF LEARNING THE GENTLEMAN — DUTIES 

OF THE CITIZEN ELECTIONS POLITICAL PARTIES — BRAZILIAN STATESMEN — NO- 
BILITY — ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. 

The German, the Englishman, and their descendants, have no 
characteristic more marked than the home-feeling. The fireside- 
circle, with its joys and cares, does not belong to the Gaul or to the 
Italian. The Southern European has much in his delicious climate 
to make him an out-of-door being. The old Eoman was one who 
lived in public. His existence seemed to be a portion of the forum, 
the public bath, the circus, and the theatre. " Without books, maga- 
zines, and newspapers, without letters to write, and with a fine 
climate always attracting him into the open air, there was nothing 
to call him home but the requisitions of eating and sleeping/' 
The city of Pompeii probably contained not more than twenty-five 
thousand inhabitants, and only one-sixth of its space has been ex- 
humed. In that small district there have been found public edifices 
merely for theatrical entertainment, which will seat seventeen 
thousand spectators. Most of the nations descended from the Bo- 
mans are, like them, without the endearing associations connected 
with the word home. There is, however, an important exception 
to this rule in the case of the Portuguese nation, which in every 
other respect is more Eoman than any living people. The home 
and the family exist; and doubtless the Lusitanians owe this to the 
Moors, who engrafted upon the Latin stock something of Oriental 
exclusiveness. The Portuguese and their American descendants 
to this day watch with a jealous eye their private abodes, and, 

spending many of their hours within those precincts which are 

11 161 



162 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



their castles, the home-attachments and family associations have 
been cherished and perpetuated. 

I propose in this chapter to consider the residence and the family, 
—to trace the education of the children to that age when they go 
forth to occupy the position of adult years. 

The city-home is not an attractive place; for the carriage-house 
and stable are upon the first floor, while the parlor, the alcoves, and 

the kitchen are in the second 

story. Not unfrequently a small 

gjp^ ~ r - area or court-yard occupies the 

\ ^ ^_ space between the coach-house 

and the stable, and this space 
separates, on the second floor, the 
kitchen from the dining-room. 

The engraving represents one 
of the older city-residences at 
Eio. The access to the staircase 
is through the great door whence 
the carriage thunders out on 
festas and holidays. At night it 
is shut by iron bars of prison-like 
dimensions. Every lock, bolt, 
older Brazilian dwelling-house. or mechanical contrivance seem 

as if they might have come from 
the Pompeiian department of the Museo Borbonico at Naples. The 
walls, composed of broken bits of stone cemented by common mortar, 
are as thick as those of a fortress. 

In the daytime you enter the great door and stand at the 
bottom of the staircase ; but neither knocker nor bell announce 
your presence. You clap your hands rapidly together ; and, 
unless the family is of the highest class, you are sure to be saluted 
by a slave from the top of the stairs with " Quern e?" (Who is 
there ?) If you should behold your friends in the balcony, you not 
only, if intimate, salute by removing the hat, but move quickly 
the fingers of your hand, as if you were beckoning to some one. 

The furniture of the parlor varies in costliness according to the 
degree of style maintained j but what you may always expect to 
find is a cane-bottomed sofa at one extremity and three or four 




Ladies and Music. 163 

chairs arranged in precise parallel rows, extending from each end 
of it toward the middle of the room. In company the ladies are 
expected to occupy the sofa and the gentlemen the chairs. 

The town-residences in the old city always seemed to me gloomy 
beyond description. But the same cannot be said of the new 
houses, and of the lovely suburban villas, with their surroundings 
oi embowering foliage, profusion of flowers, and overhanging 
fruits. Some portions of the Santa Theresa, Larangeiras, Bota- 
fogo, Catumby, Engenho Yelho, Praia Grande, and San Domingo, 
cannot be surpassed for beautiful and picturesque houses. I cite 
also the residences of Baron de Andarahy and the late Mr. Gint}^. 

There are various classes of society in Brazil as well as else- 
where, and the description of one would not hold good for another; 
but, having sketched the house, I shall next endeavor to trace the 
inmates from infancy to adult life. 

The Brazilian mother almost invariably gives her infant to a 
black to be nursed. As soon as the children become too trouble- 
some for the comfort of the senhora, they are despatched to school; 
and woe betide the poor teachers who have to break in those viva- 
cious specimens of humanity ! Accustomed to control their black 
nurses, and to unlimited indulgence from their parents, they set 
their minds to work to contrive every method of baffling the 
efforts made to reduce them to order. This does not arise from 
malice, but from want of parental discipline. They are affectionate 
and placable, though impatient and passionate, — full of intelligence, 
though extremely idle and incapable of prolonged attention. They 
readily catch a smattering of knowledge : French and Italian are 
easy to them, as cognate tongues with their own. Music, sing- 
ing, and dancing suit their volatile temperaments; and I have 
rarely heard better amateur Italian singing than in Eio de Janeiro 
and Bahia. Pianos abound in every street, and both sexes become 
adept performers. The opera is maintained by the Government, 
as it is in Europe, and the first musicians go to Brazil. Thalberg 
triumphed at Bio de Janeiro before he came to New York. The 
manners and address of Brazilian ladies are good, and their carriage 
is graceful. It is true that they have no fund of varied knowledge 
to make a conversation agreeable and instructive ; but they chatter 
nothings in a pleasant way, always excepting a rather high tone 



164 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of voice, which I suppose comes from frequent commands given to 
Congo or Mozambique. Their literary stores consist mostly of the 
novels of Balzac, Eugene Sue, Dumas pere et fils, George Sand, the 
gossipping pacotilhas and the folhetins of the newspapers. Thus 
they fit themselves to become wives and mothers. 

Dr. P. da S , a gentleman who takes a deep interest in all 

matters of education, and whose ideas are practically and success- 
fully applied to his own children, who possess solid acquirements 
as well as graceful accomplishments, once said to me, "I desire with 
all my heart to see the day when our schools for girls will be of 
such a character that a Brazilian daughter can be prepared, by her 
moral and intellectual training, to become a worthy mother, capable 
of teaching her own children the elements of education and the 
duties which they owe to G-od and man : to this end, sir, I am 
toiling.' ' Such schools are increasing, and some are very excel- 
lent ; but, in eight cases out of ten, the Brazilian father thinks that 
he has done his duty when he has sent his daughter for a few years 
to a fashionable school kept by some foreigner : at thirteen or four- 
teen he withdraws her, believing that her education is finished. 
If wealthy, she is already arranged . for life, and in a little time the 
father presents to his daughter some friend of his own, with the 
soothing remark, "Minha filha, this is your future husband." A 
view of diamonds, laces, and carriages dazzles her mental vision, 
she stifles the small portion of heart that may be left her, and 
quietly acquiesces in her father's arrangement, probably consoling 
herself with the reflection that it will not be requisite to give her 
undivided affections to the affianced companion, — that near resem- 
blance of her grandfather. Now the parents are at ease. The 
care of watching that ambitious young lady devolves on her hus- 
band, and thenceforth he alone is responsible. He, poor man, 
having a just sense of his own unfitness for such a task, places 
some antique relative as a duenna to the young bride, and then 
goes to his counting-house in happy security. At night he returns 
and takes her to the opera, there to exhibit the prize that his contos* 

* A conto of reis is one thousand milreis, — equal to five hundred dollars. The 
Brazilian never reckons a man's wealth by saying, " He is worth so many thousand 
milreis;" but, "He has so many contos." 



The Wife and Mother. 



165 



have gained, and to receive the congratulations of his friends on 
the lovely young wife that he has bought. ""lis an old tale;" 
and Brazil has not a monopoly of such marriages. 

Then the same round of errors recommences : her children feel 
the effects of the very system that has rendered the mother a 
frivolous and outward being. She sallies forth on Sundays and 
festas, arm-in-arm with her husband or brother, the children pre- 
ceding, according to their age, all dressed in black silk, with neck 
and arms generally bare, or at most a light scarf or cape thrown 
over them, their luxuriant hair beautifully arranged and orna- 




GOING TO MASS. 



mented, and sometimes covered with a black lace veil : prayer- 
book in hand, they thus proceed to church. Mass being duly gone 
through and a contribution dropped into the poor-box, they return 
home in the same order as before. 

It is often matter of surprise to Northerners how the Brazilian 
ladies can support the rays of that unclouded sun. Europeans 
glide along under the shade of bonnets and umbrellas; but these 
church-going groups pass on without appearing to suffer. The 
bonnet is, however, becoming the prevailing mode. 

You remark, iu these black-robed, small-waisted young ladies, a 
contrast to the ample dame who follows them. A Brazilian matron 



166 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

generally waxes wondrously broad in a few years, — probably owing 
to the absence of out-door exercise, of which the national habits 
deprive her. It cannot be attributed to any want of temperance ; 
for we must always remember that Brazilian ladies rarely take 
wine or any stimulant. On " state occasions," when healths are 
drunk, they only touch it for form's sake. During many years of 
residence, I cannot recall a single instance of a lady being even 
suspected of such a vice, which, in their eyes, is the most horrible 
reproach that can be cast upon the character. Estd bebado, (He is 
drunk,) — pronounced in the high and almost scolding pitch of a 
Brazilian woman, — is one of the severest and most withering re- 
proaches. In some parts of the country the expression for a dram 
is um baeta Inglez, (an English overcoat;) and the term for an in- 
toxicated fellow, in the northern provinces, is Elle estd bem Inglez, 
(He is very English.) The contrast between the general sobriety of 
all classes of Brazilians and the steady drinking of some foreigners 
and the regular " blow-out" of others is painful in the extreme. 

Wives in Brazil do not suffer from drunken husbands ; but many 
of the old Moorish prejudices make them the objects of much 
jealousy. There is, however, an advance in this respect; and, far 
more frequently than formerly, women are seen out of the church, 
the ballroom, and the theatre. 

Nevertheless, — owing to the prevailing opinion that ladies ought 
not to appear in the streets unless under the protection of a male 
relative, — the lives of the Brazilian women are dull and mono- 
tonous to a degree that would render melancholy a European or 
an American lady. 

At early dawn all the household is astir, and the principal work 
is performed before nine o'clock. Then the ladies betake them- 
selves to the balconies for a few hours, to " loll about generally," 
to gossip with their neighbors, and to look out for the milkman 
and for the quitandeiras. The former brings the milk in a cart 
of novel construction to the foreigner, — or at least he has never 
seen such a vehicle used for this purpose before going to Brazil. 
The cow is the milk-cart ! Before the sun has looked over the 
mountains, the vacca, accompanied by her calf, is led from door to 
door by a Portuguese peasant. A little tinkling bell announces 
her presence. A slave descends with a bottle and receives an 



The Milk-Cart and Quitandeira. 



167 



allotted portion of the refreshing fluid, for which he pays about 
sixpence English. One would suppose that all adulteration is thus 
avoided. The inimitable 
Punch says, if in the hu- 
man world the " child is 
father to the man/' in the 
London world the pump is 
father to the cow, — judg- 
ing from the results, (i.e. 
the milk sold in that vast 
metropolis.) Alas ! man- 
kind is the same in Brazil 
that it is in London. Milk 
may be obtained pure from 
the cow if you stand in 
the balcony and watch the 
operation; otherwise your 
bottle is filled from the tin 
can carried by the Opor- 
toense, and which can has 
oftentimes a due propor- 
tion of the water that 
started from the top of 
Corcovado and has gurgled 
down the aqueduct and 
through the fountain at the corner of the street. 

The quitandeiras are the venders of vegetables, oranges, guavas, 
maracujas, (fruits of the " passion-flower/') mangoes, doces, sugar- 
cane, toys, &c. They shout out their stock in a lusty voice, and 
the different cries that attract attention remind one of those of 
Dublin or Edinburgh. The same nasal tone and high key may be 
noticed in all. Children are charmed when their favorite old black 
tramps down the street with toys or doces. Here she comes, with 
her little African tied to her back and her tray on her head. 
She sings, — 

"Cry meninas, cry meninos, 
Papa has money in plenty, 
Come buy, ninha, ninha, come buy !" — 




*"«•«* 



THE QUITANDEIRA. 



168 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and, complying with the invitation, down run the little meninoa 
and meninas to buy doces doubly sugared, to the evident destruction 
of their gastric juices and teeth. Be it remarked, en passant, that 
no profession has more patronage in Eio than that of dentistry. 

At length there appears at the head of the street that charm of 
a Brazilian lady's day, — the pedlar of silks and muslins. He an- 
nounces his approach by the click of his covado, (measuring-stick,) 
and is followed by one or more blacks bearing tin cases on their 

heads. He walks up-stairs 
sure of a welcome; for, if 
they need nothing of his 
wares, the ladies have 
need of the amusement of 
looking them over. The 
negroes deposit the boxes 
on the floor and retire. 
Then the skilful Italian or 
Portuguese displays one 
thing after another; and 
he manages very badly if 
he cannot prevail on the 
economical lady to become 
the possessor of at least 
one cheap bargain. As to 
payment, there is no 
need of haste: he will 
call again next week, or 
take it by instalments, — 
just as the senhora finds 
best; only he should like 
senhora to have that dress, 
— it suits her complexion so well; he thought of the senhora as 
soon as he saw it ; and the price, — a mere nada. Then, too, he 
has a box of lace, some just made, — a new pattern for the ends 
of towels, — insertion for pillow-cases, and trimmings for under- 
garments. 

Some families have negresses who are taught to manufacture 
this lace, — the thread for which is brought from Portugal, — and 




THE BRAZILIAN LADY'S DELIGHT. 



The Housekeeper's Troubles. 169 

their fair owners make considerable profit by exchanging the pro- 
ducts of their lace-cushions for articles of clothing. One kind of 
needlework in which they excel is called crivo. It is made by 
drawing out the threads of fine linen and darning in a pattern. 
The towels that are presented to guests after dinner are of the 
most elaborate workmanship, consisting of a broad band of crivo 
finished by a trimming of wide Brazilian thread-lace. 

These Italian and Portuguese pedlars sell the most expensive 
and beautiful articles. A Brazilian lady's wardrobe is almost 
wholly purchased at home. Even if she do not buy from the 
mascate, she despatches a black to the Eua do Ouvidor or Eua 
da Quitanda, and orders an assortment to be sent up, from which 
she selects what is needed. The more modern ladies begin to wear 
bonnets, but these are always removed in church. Almost every 
lady makes her own dresses, or, at least, cuts them out and 
arranges them for the slaves to sew, with the last patterns from 
Paris near her. She sits in the midst of a circle of negresses, for 
she well knows that " as the eye of the master maketh the horse 
fat," so the eye of the mistress maketh the needle to move. She 
answers to the description of the good woman in the last chapter 
of Proverbs: — "She riseth up while it is yet night, and giveth a 
portion to her maidens ; she maketh fine linen [crivo and lace] and 
selleth it;" and, though her hands do not exactly lay hold on the 
spindle and distaff, yet " she looketh well to the ways of her house- 
hold, arid eateth not the bread of idleness," always excepting that 
taken on the balcony. 

We may infer that the habits of servants were the same in Solo- 
mon's time as in Brazil at the present day, judging by the amount 
of trouble they have always given their mistresses. j± lady of 
high rank in Brazil declared that she had entirely lost her health 
in the interesting occupation of scolding negresses, of whom she 
possessed some scores, and knew not what occupation to give them 
in order to keep them out of mischief. A lady of noble family 
one day asked a friend of mine if she knew any one who desired 
to give out washing, as she (the senhora) had nine lazy servants at 
home for whom there was no employment. She piteously told her 
story, saying, " We make it a principle not to sell our slaves, and 
they are the torment of my life, for I cannot find enough work to 



170 Bkazil and the Brazilians. 

keep them out of idleness and mischief." Another, a marchioness, 
said that her blacks " would be the death of her." 

Slavery in Brazil, setting aside any moral consideration of the 
question, is the same which we find the " world over," — viz. : It is 
an expensive institution, and is, in every way, very poor economy. 
When I have looked upon the careless, listless work of the bond- 
man, and have watched the weariness of flesh to the owner, I have 
sometimes thought the latter was most to be pitied. Any cruelty 
that may be inflicted upon the blacks by the whites is amply 
avenged by the vices introduced in families, and the troublesome 
anxiety given to masters. 

One of the trials of a Brazilian lady's life is the surveillance of 
the slaves who are sent into the streets for the purpose of market- 
ing and carrying water. 

The markets in Bio are abundantly supplied with all kinds of 
fish and vegetables. Of the former there are many delicate species 
unknown in the North. Large prices are given for the finer kinds. 
One called the garopa is much sought for as & piece de resistance for 
the supper-table on a ball-night. Fifty milreis (about twenty-five 
dollars) are given on such occasions. A fish is always the sign of 
a casa de pasto, or common restaurant, at Bio. 

The market near the Palace Square is a pleasant sight in the 
cool of the morning. Fresh bouquets shed a fragrance around, and 
the green vegetables and bright fruits contrast well with the dark 
faces of the stately Mina negresses who sell them. " What is the 
price of this?" "What will the senhor give?" is the common 
reply; and woe betide the first efforts of a poor innocent ship's- 
steward in his early attempts at negotiation with these queenly 
damsels, whose air seems to indicate that with them to sell or not 
to sell is equally indifferent and beneath their notice. 

The indigenous fruits of the country are exceedingly rich and 
various. Besides oranges, limes, cocoanuts, and pineapples, which 
are well known among us, there are mangoes, bananas, fruitas de 
conde, maracuja, pomegranates, mammoons, goyabas, jambos, 
aracas, cambocas, cajus, cajas, mangabas, and many other species 
whose names are Hebrew to Northern ears, but which quickly 
convey to a Brazilian the idea of rich, refreshing, and delicate 
fruits, each of which has a peculiar and a delicious flavor. 



Marketing. 



171 



With such a variety to supply whatever is to be desired, in view 
of either the necessaries or luxuries of life, none need complain. 
These articles are found in profusion in the markets, and also 
hawked about through the town and suburbs by slaves and free 
negroes, who generally carry them in baskets upon the head. 
Persons who wish to purchase have only to call them by a sup- 
pressed whistle, (something like pronouncing imperfectly the word 
tissue,) which they universally understand as an invitation to walk 
in and display their stock. 




THE EDIBLE PALM, (EUTERPE EDULIS.) 



In an outer circle of the market mentioned you find small shops 
filled with birds and animals. Here gay macaws and screaming 
parrots keep up a perpetual concert with chattering apes and 
diminutive monkeys. At a little distance outside are huge piles of 
oranges, panniers of other fruits ready to be sold to the retailer and 
the quitandeiras, wicker-baskets filled with chickens and bundles of 



172 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



palmito for cooking. It makes one sad to think that the procuring 
of these palmito-sticks has destroyed a graceful palm, {Euterpe 
edulis;) but what is there that we are not ready to sacrifice to 
that Maelstrom, the stomach? One of those beautiful trees I 
sketched at Constancia, fifty miles from Eio. It was not straight, 
as we usually find it, but gracefully curved ; and, as it lifted its 
slender form and tufted summit above the tropic forest, it presented 
a picture of such uncommon loveliness, that day after day I visited 
the spot to drink my fill of beauty. 

Here comes the black cook, Jose, or Csesar, basket on arm, 
counting with his fingers, and bent on beating down to the lowest 

price the white-teethed 
Ethiopian who pre- 
sides, in order that he 
may have a few vin- 
tems, filched from his 
master, to spend, as he 
returns home, in the 
purchase of a little 
cachaga, "para matar 
o bixo" ("to kill the 
beast.") What this 
much-feared animal is 
has never been ascer- 
tained; but certainly, 
judging from the pro- 
tracted effort that is 
required to kill him, he 
must be possessed of 
remarkable tenacity of 
life, — a sort of phoenix 
among animals ! The 
fish, vegetables, fruit, 
and indispensable chickens, being purchased to his satisfaction, he 
next goes to the street appropriated to the butchers. Here he buys 
some beef, lean but not ill-flavored, an apology for mutton easily 
mistaken for patriarchal goat, or a soft, pulpy substance, considered 
a great delicacy, (appropriately termed, by the Emerald Islanders, 




"s*/i/-//V/?/s-.. 



BARGAIN. 



Eating and Drinking. 173 

♦'staggering Bob/') — the flesh of an unfortunate calf that had 
scarcely time to look at the blue sky ere it was consigned to the 
butcher's knife. Then he proceeds to the venda to purchase the 
little dose for his bixo, and wends home, in high good-humor, to 
prepare breakfast. 

In many families a cup of strong coffee is taken at sunrise, and 
then a substantial meal later in the morning. Dinner is usually 
served about one or two o'clock, — at least where the hours of 
foreigners have not been adopted. Soup is generally presented, 
and afterward meat, fish, and pastry at the same time. Except at 
dinners of ceremony, an excellent dish, much relished by foreigners, 
always finds a place on a Brazilian table. It is compounded of the 
feijao, or black beans of the country, mingled with some came secca 
(jerked beef) and fat pork. Farinha, or mandi oca-flour, is sprinkled 
over it, and it is worked into a stiff paste. This farinha is the bread 
for the million, and is the principal food of the blacks throughout 
the country, who would consider it much deteriorated by being eaten 
in any other manner than with the fingers. It is an excellent and 
nutritious diet, and with it they can endure the hardest labor. Coffee 
or mate are often taken after dinner, and the use of tea is becoming 
more common. The "cha nacional" bids fair to rival that of 
China; but the mate, though not generally used in the Middle and 
Northern provinces, is considered more wholesome than tea, being 
less exciting to the nerves. Some families have supper frequently 
offish ; but in others nothing substantial is taken after dinner, and 
they retire very early to rest. Eio is as quiet at ten o'clock p.m. 
as European cities at two in the morning. Even the theatre-goers 
make but little noise, as they are generally on foot, — at least if they 
reside in the city. So much do the places of public amusement 
depend on the pedestrians, that if the evening is decidedly rainy 
it is usual to postpone the performance until another night. It 
must be remembered that half an hour's rain transforms the streets 
of Eio into rushing canals, all the drainage being on the surface. 
On a drenching day, the pretos de ganho, or porters, who lounge at 
the corner of every street, make a good harvest by carrying people 
on their backs across these impromptu streams. Sales are often 
announced with this condition : — "The weather permitting." 

One of the greatest delights for the black population of Eio is 



174 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the necessity of carrying water from the chafariz or public foun- 
tain, or from the water-pipe which is at the corner of almost every 
street. Blackey lazily lounges out with his barril under his arm, 
and happy is Congo if he espies a long queue of his compatriots 
awaiting their turn at the stopcock. Here the news of their little 

world is told amid bursts 
of Ethiopian laughter ; or 
a small flirtation is car- 
ried on with Rosa or 
Joaquinha from the next 
street; or perhaps there 
is an upbraiding lecture 
administered by some 
jetty damsel from Angola, 
whose voice, to his con- 
sternation, is by no means 
pianissimo. There is an- 
other out-door affair much 
more congenial : i.e. many 
a sly attempt to kill the 
bixo is made at the ad- 
joining venda while the 
water pours into the bar- 
rils of the earlier comers. 
Some mistresses, how- 
ever, who find that their 
cooks have always to wait 
for the water, make arrangements with the water-carriers, who 
perambulate the streets with an immense hogshead mounted on 
wheels and drawn by a mule. This vehicle, during a fire, (not a 
frequent occurrence,) is required to supply the fire-engines. These 
men are generally natives of Portugal or the Azores, and seem 
eminently qualified by nature to be hewers of wood and drawers 
of water. They carry the water up-stairs and pour it into large 
earthen jars, which bring to mind the waterpots at the marriage 
of Cana in Galilee. The huge earthen vases are arranged on 
stands in places where there is a current of air, and the liquid 
element in them thus acquires a coolness which, though not equal 




THE ANGOLIAN'S REPROACH. 



Family Recreations. 



175 



to the iced water of the United States, possesses a delightful 
frigidity . Ice is in Brazil an expensive luxur}-, either coming- from 
North America or manufactured in Rio de Janeiro. It is, of course, 
unknown out of the city. Boston apples and ice are both in the 
highest esteem ; but the latter was rejected, as altogether un- 
wholesome, upon its introduction in 1833, and the first cargo was 
a total loss to the adventurers. At the present time both com- 
mand a good price; and in the month of January the quitandeiras 
maybe heard crying out lustily, " Macaas Americanas," (American 
apples,) which they sell for five or six vintems each 




THE ILHEO WATER-VENDER. 



The Fluminensian lady has occasionally some respite from slave- 
watching and household cares, when the senhor takes her to Petro- 
polis or Tijuca, or perhaps gives her a few weeks of fresh air at 
Constancia or Nova Fribourgo. Such visits are not, however, so 
frequent as one would wish, and the senhora must content herself 
with festas, the opera, and a ball, as a relief from her usual round 
of duties. An evening-party in Rio generally means a ball. Fami- 
liar intercourse with the higher families is difficult of attainment by 
foreigners j but when the stranger is admitted he is received en 
famille, and all ceremony is laid aside. In such home-circles the 
evenings are often spent in music, dancing, and games of romps. 



176 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Here men of highest position are sometimes seen unbending their 
stiff exteriors, and joining heartily in innocent mirth. A game 
called "pilha tres" is a favorite, and is quite as wild and noisy as 
" pussy wants a corner." An American gentleman informed me 
that on one occasion he joined in this play with a Minister of the 
Empire, the Yiscountess, (his wife,) two Senators, an ex-Minister- 
plenipotentiary, three foreign Charges d' Affaires, and the ladies 
and children of the family. No one feared any loss of dignity by 
thus la3 T ing aside, for the moment, his ordinary gravity, and all 
seemed to enjoy themselves in the highest degree. 

The Brazilians have large families, and it is not an uncommon 
thing to find ten, twelve, or fifteen children to a single mother. I 
saw a gentleman — a planter — in the province of Minas-Geraes, who 
was one of twenty -four children by the same mother. I afterward 
was presented to this worthy matron at Rio de Janeiro. 

I am persuaded that there is much of the home-element among 
the Brazilians. Family fete-days and birthdays are celebrated 
with enthusiasm. Though the standard of general morality is very 
much lower than that of the United States and England, I believe 
it to be above that of France, and there is a home-feeling diffused 
among all classes, which tends to render the Brazilian a more 
order-loving man than the Gaul. With a pure religion his excel- 
lencies would make him infinitely superior to the latter. 

The education of the Brazilian boy is better than that of his 
sister. There is, however, a great deal of superficiality : he is 
made a "little old man" before he is twelve years of age, — having 
his stiff black silk hat, standing collar, and cane; and in the city 
he walks along as if everybody were looking at him, and as if he 
were encased in corsets. He does not run, or jump, or trundle 
hoop, or throw stones, as boys in Europe and North America. At 
an early age he is sent to a collegio, where he soon acquires the 
French language and the ordinary rudiments of education in the 
Portuguese. Though his parents reside in the city, he boards in 
the collegio, and only on certain occasions does he see his father or 
mother. He learns to write a " good hand," which is a universal 
accomplishment among the Brazilians; and most of the boys of the 
higher classes are good musicians, become adepts in the Latin, and 
many of them are taught to speak English with creditable fluency. 



"Professores," Collegios, and Schools. 177 

The examination was formerly a great anniversary, when the little 
fellows were starched up in their stiffest clothes and their minds 
were "crammed" for the occasion. The boys acted their parts, and 
the various professores, in exaltation of their office, read or delivered 
memoriter speeches to the admiring .parents; and the whole was 
wound up by some patron of the school crowning with immense 
wreaths the " good boys." All were good boys, without exception ! 
The collegio then took a vacation of a few weeks, and commenced 
again with its boarders, the "very young gentlemen" students. 
But these things have greatly changed for the better, and many 
collegios are ably conducted. 

The principals of these establishments, when gifted with good 
administrative capacities, reap large sums. One with whom I 
was acquainted had, after a few years' teaching, 20,000$000 (ten 
thousand dollars) placed out at interest. The professores do not 
always reside in the collegio, but teach by the hour for a stipulated 
sum, and are thus enabled to instruct in a number of schools during 
the day. The English language has become such a desideratum at 
Rio, that every collegio has its professor Inglez. 

There has recently been a great improvement in the collegios 
as well as in the public schools. The professores were sum- 
moned, by a commission under the Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, to appear at the Military Academy, and there to be 
examined as to their qualifications for giving instruction. If 
they passed their examination, which was most rigid, they re- 
ceived a license to teach, for which they had to pay a certain 
fee. The principals also were required to undergo an examina- 
tion, if the commission should think it proper; and they were not 
permitted to carry on their collegios without a certificate. The 
educational authorities also asserted their right to visit these pri- 
vate academies at any hour of the day or night, to examine the 
proficiency of the scholars at any time during the term, to investi- 
gate their sleeping-apartments, their food, and whatever apper- 
tained to their mental or physical well-being. This was not a 
mere threat, but schools were actually visited, and some were 
reformed more rapidly than agreeably. The system of "cram- 
ming" was in a measure broken up, and the Empire thus took 
under its control the instruction given in the private as well as in 

12 



178 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the public aulas. This educational innovation at Rio was owing to 
the energetic measures of the late Visconde de Itaborahy. One of 
his adjutants in accomplishing this was Dr. M. Pacheco da Silva, 
who was afterwards appointed Regent of the Imperial College of 
Pedro II. at Rio de Janeiro. The note of reform was sounded, every 
duty connected with teachers or scholars was fully investigated, and 
the revolution was made, notwithstanding the complaints of professor es 
who were degraded as incompetent, and parents who found their 
children rigidly examined and only promoted in the public schools 
after convincing proofs of real progress. 

There is a common-school S3 r stem throughout the Empire, more 
or less modified by provincial legislation. The General Government 
during the years 1854-55 educated 65,413 children. How many 
more were educated in private schools I have no means of knowing. 
In the report of the Minister of the Empire for 1871, the tables of 
which were systematized by Dr. J. C, Rodrigues in the Novo Mundo 
for October, 1872, 1 find that there were in the 4,437 schools of every 
grade, whether public or private, 133,950 scholars, of which number 
109,699 belong to the public schools. In 1876, the Government 
published the statistics of the schools for 1875, at which time, the 
report sa} T s, " there were 5,890 schools, both public and private, for 
primar}^ and secondary education, frequented by 187,915 scholars." 
This increase has certainly either been very rapid, or the statistics of 
1871 were defective. Dr. Rodrigues has written very feelingly and 
impartially on the education of his native land, and has shown by 
comparative statistics, with the United States and Europe, that Brazil 
is lamentably behind-hand in the education of the people. Slavery 
has brought with it an immense amount of ignorance elsewhere as 
well as in Brazil, and the Empire has that, and, except on the sea- 
coast, a sparse population to contend with. Great credit is to be 
given to the Minister of the Empire in 1878, Dr. Leoncio de Car- 
valho, for promoting important and liberal reforms in public edu- 
cation. 

Great ignorance prevails in a large portion of the population, and, 
though many years may elapse before a tolerable degree of know- 
ledge will be properly diffused, yet the beginning has been made, 
and the French proverb is true in this as in other things, " Ce n'est 
que le premier pas qui coute." 



Collegio of Pedro II. 179 

In the city of Rio, instruction can be divided into the following 
classes : — the primary, the secondary, (instrugao secundaria,) and 
the private schools, (collegios.) The College of Pedro II., the 
Military and Naval Academies, the Medical College, and the 
Theological Seminary of St. Joseph, are also under the direction 
of the State. In 1876, the total number of scholars in Rio was 17,279. 

Through some one of these establishments the juvenile Brazilian 
ascends the hill of knowledge. An institution already referred to, 
which of late has awakened more interest than any other in the 
capital of Brazil, was organized in the latter part of 1837, under 
the name of Collegio de Dom Pedro II. It is designed to give a 
complete scholastic education, and corresponds, in its general plan, 
to the lyceums established in most of the provinces, although in 
endowment and patronage it is probably in advance of any of 
those. There was at the opening an active competition for the 
professorships, eight or nine in number. All of them are said to 
have been creditably filled. The concourse of students was very 
considerable from the first organization of the classes. A point 
of great interest connected with this institution is the circum- 
stance that its statutes provide expressly for the reading and study 
of the Holy Scriptures in the vernacular tongue. For some time 
previous to its establishment, copies of the Scriptures had been 
used in the other schools and seminaries of the city, where they 
were not likely to be less prized after so worthy an example on 
the part of the Emperor's College. The Rev. Mr. Spaulding (who 
was the clerical colleague of Dr. Kidder at Rio de Janeiro) had an 
application to supply a professor and an entire class of students 
with Bibles; to which he cheerfully acceded, by means of a grant 
from the Missionary and Bible Societies. 

The Military and Naval Academies are for the systematic in- 
struction of the young men destined to either branch of the public 
service. At fifteen years of age, any Brazilian lad who under- 
stands the elementary branches of a common education, and the 
French language so as to render it with facility into the national 
idiom or Portuguese, may, on personal application, be admitted to 
either of these institutions. I have never witnessed a more in- 
teresting scene than the assembling of these young men for their 



180 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

morning recitations. It carried me back to the Northern uni- 
versities, so much vigor and spirit did the Brazileiro students 
manifest in their sports and repartees, or in their explanations to 
each other of difficult points of geometry and engineering which 
were soon to be brought before their professors. 

The regular army of Brazil is 16,000 men in peace, and 32,000 in 
war. The national guard that formerly existed, was dissolved until 
it shall be reorganized after a new census. 

The Naval Academy was formerly on board a man-of-war at 
anchor in the harbor, and introduced its pupils at once to life upon 
the water. 1865, the academy is removed to the city. 

The Imperial Academy of Medicine occupies the large build- 
ings near the Morro do Castello, and is attended by students in 
the different departments, to the number of more than three hun- 
dred. A full corps of professors, several of whom have been edu- 
cated in Europe, occupy the different chairs, and, by their reputa- 
tion, guarantee to the Brazilian student an extensive course of 
lectures and study. The institution is in close connection with 
the Hospital da Misericordia, which at all times offers a vast field 
for medical observation. 

The Theological Seminary of St. Joseph has less attraction for 
the Brazilian youth than any other educational establishment 
at Bio. 

The young Brazileiro, (of course we speak of the gentleman's 
son,) after leaving his collegio, enters the Medical Academy, or, 
having a warlike inclination, becomes a middy or a cadet, or he 
possibly may enter the Seminary of St. Joseph. If he has a legal 
turn, he is sent to the Law Schools at S. Paulo or Pernambuco. 
The young Brazilian likes nothing ignoble : he prefers to have a 
gold lace around his cap and a starving salary to the cares and 
toils of the counting-room. The Englishman and German are the 
wholesale importers, the Portuguese is the jobber, the Frenchman 
is the coiffeur and fancy dealer, the Italian is the pedlar, the Portu- 
guese islander is the grocer, the Brazilian is the gentleman. Every 
place in the gift of the Government is full of young attaches, from 
the diplomatic corps down to some petty office in the custom- 
house. The Brazilian, feeling himself above all the drudgery of 
life, is a'man of leisure, and looks down in perfect contempt upon 



The Brazilian Gentleman. 181 

the foreigner, who is always grumbling, fretting, and busy. The 
Brazilian of twenty-five is an exquisite. He is dressed in the last 
Paris fashion, sports a fine cane, his hair is as smooth as brush can 
make it, his moustache is irreproachable, his shoes of the smallest 
and glossiest pattern, his diamonds sparkle, his rings arc unexcep- 
tionable : in short, he has a high estimation of himself and his 
clothes. His theme of conversation may be the opera, the next 
ball, or some young lady whose father has so many contos. 

In spite of all drawbacks, many of these men, in after-life, — 
whether in the diplomatic circle, in the court-room, in the House 
of Deputies, or in the Senate, — show that they are not deficient in 
talent or in acquirements. They can almost all turn a sentence 
well, rhyme when they choose, or make a fine ore rotundo speech, 
echoed by the apoiados of their companions. Some few become fine 
scholars, and more of them are readers than are generally supposed. 
Many of them travel for a year or two, and are educated in Europe 
or in the United States. The interest which the Brazilians, with 
D. Pedro II. at their head, are now manifesting in learned societies, 
— whose ranks are recruited from the very class mentioned, — de- 
monstrates that the " little old men" of twelve have not all turned 
out " froth ;" though too much of the vain, the light, and the super- 
ficial must be predicated of the Brazilian, who looks upon cards, 
balls, and the opera as essential portions of his existence. From 
such men you would not expect much of the " sterner stuff" which 
enters into the structure of great statesmen. Nevertheless, the 
county has made wonderful progress; and it must be added, that 
from time to time there have arisen from the lower ranks of society 
men of power, who have become leaders. There is nothing in the 
origin or the color of a man that can keep him down in Brazil. 

It must be borne in mind that the Brazilian thus described is 
not the portrait of the large majority of the citizens of the Empire, 
but of one from the higher classes as generally found in the cities. 
There are exceptions; but the same religion and the same modo 
of thinking have, to a greater or less degree, given a similarity 
to all who comprise the upper ranks of society, and from whom 
come the magistrates, officers, diplomatists, and legislators. Their 
greatest defect is not the want of a polished education, but of a 
sound morality, a pure religion. Without these, a man may be 



182 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

amiable, refined, ceremonious; but their absence makes him irre- 
sponsible, insincere, and selfish. As nations are made up of indi- 
viduals, it should be the ardent desire of every Christian and 
philanthropist that this Southern people, which have so favorably 
set out in their national career, may have that which is far higher 
than mere refinement or education. 

The duties of the Brazilian citizen are clearly defined in the 
Constitution and by-laws of the Empire. Each male citizen who 
has attained his majority is entitled to a vote if he possess an 
income of one hundred milreis. Monks, domestics, individuals not 
in the receipt of 100$000 rent, and, of course, minors, are excluded 
from voting. Deputies to the Assembled Geral are chosen, through 
electors, for four years. The Senator, who holds his position for 
life, is elected in a manner somewhat different from the Deputado. 
Electors, chosen by popular suffrage, cast their ballots for candi- 
dates aspiring to the senatorial office. The names of the three 
who stand highest on the list are handed to the Emperor, who 
selects one; and thus he who has been chosen through the people, 
electors, and the Emperor, takes his chair for lifetime in the Bra- 
zilian Chamber of Peers. There seems to have been great wisdom 
in all these conservative measures, and their excellencies are the 
more enhanced when we examine the various laws and qualifica- 
tions that pertain to elections and candidates in the States of 
Spanish America. The Chamber of Deputies consists of one 
hundred and eleven members, and the Senate, according to the 
Constitution, must contain half that number. The provincial 
legislators are chosen directly by the people. 

An election in Brazil is not very dissimilar to an election in the 
United States. Bio de Janeiro is divided into ten or twelve parishes 
(freguezias) or wards. A list of voters in each parish is posted up 
for some weeks before an election, and the Government designates 
clerks and inspectors for the various freguezias. The elections are 
held in churches. Upon an American expressing to a Brazilian his 
surprise in regard to this seeming inconsistency in a Boman Ca- 
tholic country, — where the importance put upon the visible temple 
is as great as if it were the very gate of heaven, — no satisfactory 
reply was obtained. The only theory by which the Fluminensian 
attempted to account for it was on the supposition that when the 



Elections and Political Parties. 183 

Constitutional Government was adopted it was deemed advisable 
to give a solemnity to the act of voting, — that men in the sacred 
edifice and before the altar would be restrained from acts of violence, 
and would be otherwise more guarded than in a secular building. 
Experience, however, has shown that political rancor will ride over 
all religious veneration; for it is said that on certain occasions, in 
some of the provinces, the exasperated electors have seized the tall 
candlesticks and the slender images from the altar to beat conviction 
into the heads of their opponents. 

A ballot-box, in the shape of a hair trunk, is surrounded by the 
clerks and inspectors; the vote is handed to the presiding officer; 
the name of the voter is checked, and the ballot is then deposited. 
Groups of people, active electioneerers and vote-distributers, may 
be seen in and around the church, like the crowds of the "unterri- 
fied" near the polls in the United States. The Government has 
great power in the elections through the numerous office-holders in 
its employ ; but ofttimes it suffers a defeat. The supreme authori- 
ties have the right to set aside an election in cases of violence or 
fraudulent procedure. 

The parties are the ins and the outs, or Government and Opposition. 
The part} T -hnes were formerly more closely drawn, under the names 
of Saquaremas, (the Conservatives,) and Luzias, (the Progressives.) 
These names are derived from two unimportant freguezias in the 
provinces of Rio de Janeiro and Minas-Geraes. The elections of 
1878 brought the liberals into power. 

These parties for some years contended for power and principle, 
and so warm were their struggles that at times they seemed to 
battle more for rule than for the success of principles. The Luzias 
endeavored to promote the welfare of Brazil by adopting laws and 
regulations for which the Saquaremas did not think the country 
yet prepared. Both struggled for many years, and alternately held 
the reins of government : at last the Saquarema party triumphed, 
and from 1848 to 1864 was at the head of affairs. (1878, parties are 
now called Liberal and Conservative.) 

In 1854 the two parties were nearly reconciled, there being few 
dissidents. This was owing to the wise policy of the Saquaremas. 
They made very good use of their great influence; they adopted 
some of the ideas of their opponents; and they promoted to 



184 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Government employment a number of the Luzias who were men 
of acknowledged ability and probity. 

This reconciliation was mostly owing to the political tactics 
of the late Marquis of Parana, who was a most skilful politician 
and a fluent speaker. He was an instance of a man of talent 
reaching by his industry and energy the highest position in the 
gift of the monarch and people. He knew well how to employ 
intrigue, and his moral character was by no means spotless ; yet at 
his death, in September, 1856, party spirit was laid aside, the faults 
of the man were covered, and the energy and talent of the states- 
man only were remembered. 

At this point I will mention some of the leading statesmen and 
politicians, both dead and living, who for the last half century have 
wielded an influence in Brazil. 

Among the distinguished politicians and orators now dead may 
be counted the Marquis of Olinda, (Pedro de Araujo Lima,) who 
was educated at the Portuguese University of Coimbra, and who 
dedicated more than fifty 3*ears of his life to the service of his 
countr}'. He was Eegent during the minority of the Emperor, and 
was at various times either a member, or a chief, of the Cabinet. 

The Marquis d'Abrantes, (Miguel Calmon du Pin,) a skilful diplo- 
matist, consummate financier, and a distinguished orator, was at 
different periods a member of the Cabinet, and made himself still 
better known by a volume giving an account of his diplomatic mission 
in Europe. He died in 1865. 

Among the veteran statesmen may be mentioned Senator Ver- 
gueiro, (once Eegent during the minorit}^ of D. Pedro II.,) who en- 
deavored to advance the prosperity of his country by promoting, at 
his own expense, European immigration. A fuller sketch of this 
noble octogenarian is found in another chapter. (Died 1860.) 

Of all the Brazilian statesmen after the death of the Marquis of 
Parana none wielded a more governing power of his party than Sr. 
Eusebio de Queiroz. He was named by Sr. Octaviano the "Pope 
of the Conservatives." 

The Visconde de Uruguay, who died at Rio de Janeiro in 1866, was 
formerly a leader in Brazilian politics, and was Minister of Foreign 
Affairs when the cruel Dictator Rosas was overthrown by the 
combined Brazilian and Argentine armies. 



Statesmen of Brazil. 185 

The Visconde de Itaborahy was a skilful financier who was fre- 
quently a member of the Cabinet. To him were due financial re- 
forms in the treasury and the creation of a national bank. 

The Visconde de Sepetiba was one of the first Cabinet ministers to 
promote internal improvements in the Empire. 

The Visconde de Jequitinhonha (Montezuma) was eminent as a 
politician, diplomatist, and advocate. He was one of the five pat- 
riots banished by Dom Pedro I. (See page 75.) 

The Marquis of Sao Vicente, who died in 1878, was, either as 
Senator or Cabinet minister, a powerful man by his eloquence and 
erudition. He was an authority on constitutional law. 

Sr. Nabuco in his lifetime stood deservedly high as one of the first 
jurists of Brazil. 

Theophile B. Ottoni was one of the advanced liberals, whose 
politics greatly influenced " young Brazil." 

The late Senator Souza Franco was a gentleman of great talent, and 
had great power as a leading liberal. He was what is termed a " self- 
made man." He is referred to on page 560. 

Zacarias de Goes e Vasconcellos, as a brilliant orator, as a student 
of political economy, and as a skilful politician, (often accused of 
Jesuitic dealings,) was amongst the noted statesmen of Brazil. 

Padre Pompeu, the late senator from Ceara, was a man respected 
b} T all parties for his accomplishments as a scientific geographer, and 
as a strong and upright politician. 

If we turn from the dead to the living we find a number of men 
who have achieved fame in their native land, and some of whom are 
known beyond the Empire. 

The Duke of Caxias is the oldest of the notables as a military man 
and politician. He gained his early laurels in the war of indepen- 
dence ; he won renown in the wars against Hispano-Americans, and 
was noted for his energ}^ in intestine troubles. He commanded the 
Brazilian forces against llosas in 1852, and against Lopez from 
November, 1866, to March, 1869, when he resigned, and the war was 
successfully concluded under the Count d'Eu, (the consort of the 
Imperial Princess,) March 1, 1870. 

Amongst those who have rendered important services both at home 
and abroad, none stand higher than the Visconde do Rio Branco 
(Paranhos). As senator, diplomatist, and premier, he is equally 



186 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

great. And, next to the Emperor, to him belongs the honor of the 
project for the emancipation of slavery. He is respected by all 
parties. 

The Visconde de Abaete (Limpo de Abreu) was formerly President 
of the Senate, and has been many times minister. His history is 
connected with the early histor} T of the Empire. (See page 220.) 

One of the best known Brazilian statesmen in other countries is 
undoubtedly the Visconde de Bom Retiro who was the } T oungest 
member of the famous cabinet of the Marquis of Parana. In it he 
held the distinguished portfolio of minister of the Empire. It was 
then that he promoted internal improvements, and reforms in educa- 
tion. In 1871-72, and again in 1876-77, he was the chosen com- 
panion of the Emperor in his foreign tours. Genial and cultivated, 
he won hosts of friends in Europe and America. 

Sr. Sinimbu, the Premier in 1878, has done much to promote the 
agricultural interests of Brazil, and is also distinguished for his 
services as senator and as judge. Sr. Octaviano ranks deservedly 
high as a writer, speaker, diplomatist, and as a liberal political 
manager. Another eminent Liberal is Saldanha Marinho, who has a 
just celebrity as an advocate, as a writer, as a leading Free Mason, 
and as the uncompromising foe of reaction in religion and politics. 
Saraiva, too, is a man of mark. When he became Minister of For- 
eign Affairs in 1865, he displayed great energy and ability. Dantas 
of Bahia is one of the most fearless and consummate debaters in Parlia- 
ment and has a high reputation throughout the country. Paulino 
Jose Soares de Souza is also an eminent man, and ma} 7 be considered 
by his abilities and success one of the Conservative leaders. C. B. 
Ottoni may be described as a liberal statesman, almost verging to 
Republicanism. He is distinguished as an engineer and a mathema- 
tician. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada, the son of Martin Francisco, 
(mentioned on pages 73 and 374,) is one of the most scholarly men 
in Brazil. He became at an early age professor in the law colleges 
of Pernambuco and San Paulo. He has been a member of two Lib- 
eral Cabinets. Affonso Celso, who has alread}^ filled a place in the 
Cabinet, is a young man of great talents, who has wonderful skill in 
directing a political campaign, and is really one of the active leaders 
of the Liberals. Such are some of the men who take a leading part 
in the State- affairs of Brazil. 




SR. SALDANHA MARINHO, 

Grand Master of the Brazilian Free Masor.s. 



CHAPTEE XI. 

PRAIA GRANDE SAN DOMINGO — SABBATH-KEEPING — MANDIOCA PONTE DE AREA — 

VIEW FROM INGA — THE ARMADILLO COMMERCE OF BRAZIL THE FINEST STEAM- 
SHIP VOYAGE IN THE WORLD AMERICAN SEAMEN'S FRIEND SOCIETY THE ENG- 
LISH CEMETERY ENGLISH CHAPEL BRAZILIAN FUNERALS TIJUCA BENNETT' S 

— CASCADES — EXCURSIONS — BOTANICAL GARDENS — AN OLD FRIEND HOME. 

Rio de Janeiro, sometimes called A Corte (the Court) by the 
Brazilians, while situated within the province of the same name, 
is only the capital of the Empire. Praia Grande, on the opposite 
side of the bay, is the capital of the province of Eio de Janeiro. 
The latter city is in a neutral district, like the District of Columbia 
in the United States, and all the laws of this metropolis, as those 
of Washington, emanate from the General Government. 

Ferry-boats, resembling those in the United States, run half- 
hourly between the Court and Praia Grande, touching at the white 
little village of San Domingo. The passage is made in thirty 
minutes, and gives a fine view of the entrance to the harbor, the 
whole water-line of Eio, and the various anchorages for the ship- 
ping. These American boats were introduced by Dr. Eainey. 

Praia Grande and San Domingo stretch around a semicircular 

bay, and probably contain about sixteen thousand inhabitants. 

On account of the quietness and cheaper rents, many prefer this 

side of the water to the urbs fluminis as a place of residence. I here 

frequently held religious services, and the Sabbath seemed more 

like a day of rest than in Eio, where so many shops are open and 

the people generally given to amusement. In regard to the holy 

keeping of the day of rest the Brazilians are no more scrupulous 

than their co-religionists in France or Italy. Military parades are 

as frequent upon that day as any other ; and operas, theatres, and 

balls are probably more crowded than during the evenings of 

secular time. The foreign wholesale establishments are closed ; 

187 



188 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

but many of the native shopkeepers, and nearly all of the small 
French dealers, make as great a display, in the morning at least, as 
on Monday or Saturday. It must, however, be admitted to the 
credit of the Brazilians that they have made great improvements 
in this respect. Formerly there was no closing of the smaller 
places of business on Sunday, and that day, until within a few 
years, was the favorite of the week for holding auction -sales. This 
the authorities suppressed by edict; and in 1852, a number of the 
Brazilian jobbers, by an agreement, (convenio,~) for a while ab- 
stained from Sunday dealings; but this move was by no means so 
apparent as the suppression of the auctions. In the discussion 
which arose in regard to Sabbath-keeping, the Bishop of Bio de 
Janeiro, and the leading journals, took an active part. JSotwith- 
standing all these ameliorations, the Lord's day is one of amuse- 
ment and business, so far as Brazilians are concerned; and its 
profanation is such as to shock even those who are not accustomed 
to the decent observance of that portion of time in England, Scot- 
land, or the United States. 

In Praia Grande and S. Domingo there are beautiful chacaras, 
(country-seats,) and quiet, shady nooks, whose delicious fragrance 
and coolness contrast refreshingly with the hot landing-place of 
the steam ferry-boat. 

Twenty minutes' walk from the praia (beach) will bring us into 
the sparsely-inhabited environs, where we may see the coffee-tree, 
with its cherry-like berries, the noble dome-shaped mangueira, 
whose fruit is esteemed so highly by the English in the East Indies, 
and orange-trees, whose rich, yellow burdens never become weari- 
some to the eye or cloying to the palate. There, too, we may see 
fields of the mandioca, which plant has been and is as much asso- 
ciated with the sustentation of life in Brazil as wheat in more 
northern climes. This vegetable, (Jatropha manihot L.,) being the 
principal farinaceous production of Brazil, is deserving of particular 
notice. Its peculiarity is the union of a deadly poison with highly- 
nutritious qualities. It is indigenous to Brazil, and was known to 
the Indians long before the discovery of the country. Southey 
remarks: — " If Ceres deserved a place in the mythology of Greece, 
far more might the deification of that person have been expected 
who instructed his fellows in the use of mandioc." It is difficult 



The Mandioca Root. 



189 



to imagine how savages should have ever discovered that a whole- 
some food might be prepared from this root. 

Their mode of preparation was by scraping it to a fine pulp with 
oyster-shells, or with an instrument made of small sharp stones set 
in - a piece of bark, so 
as to form a rude 
rasp. The pulp was 
then rubbed or ground 
with a stone, the juice 
carefully expressed, 
and the last remain- 
ing moisture evapor- 
ated by the fire. The 
operation of prepar- 
ing it was thought 
unwholesome, and the 
slaves, whose busi- 
ness it was, took the 
flowers of the nhambi 
and the root of the 
urucu in their food, 
"to strengthen the 
heart and stomach." 

The Portuguese 
soon invented mills 
and presses for this 
purpose. They usually 
pressed it in cellars, 
and places where it 

was least likely to occasion accidental harm. In these places it is said 
that a white insect was found generated by this deadly juice, itself 
not less deadly, with which the native women sometimes poisoned 
their husbands, and slaves their masters, by putting it in their 
food. A poultice of mandioc, with its own juice, was considered 
excellent for'imposthumes. It was administered for worms, and 
was applied to old wounds to eat away the diseased flesh. For 
some poisons, also, and for the bite of certain snakes, it was 
esteemed a sovereign antidote. The simple juice was used for 




MANDIOCA, (JATROPHA MANIHOT.) 



190 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

cleaning iron. The poisonous quality is confined to the root; for 
the leaves of the plant are eaten, and even the juice might bo 
made innocent by boiling, and be fermented into vinegar, or inspis- 
sated till it became sweet enough to serve for honey. 

The crude root cannot bo preserved three days by any possible 
care, and the slightest moisture spoils the Hour. Piso observes, 
that he had seen great ravages occasioned among the troops by 
eating it in this state. There ay ere two modes of preparation, by 
which it could more easily be kept. The roots were sliced under 
water, and then hardened before a fire. AThen wanted for use, 
they were grated into a tine powder, which, being beaten up with 
water, became like a cream of almonds. The other method was 
to macerate the root in water till it became putrid, then hang it 
up to be smoke-dried; and this, when, pounded in a mortar, pro- 
duced a flour as white as meal. It was frequently prepared in this 
manner by savages. The most delicate preparation was by pressing 
it through a sieve and putting the pulp immediately in an earthen 
vessel on the fire. It then granulated, and was excellent when 
either hot or cold. 

The native mode oi' cultivating it was rude and summary. The 
Indians cut down the forest-trees, let them lie till they were dry 
enough to burn, and then planted the mandioc between the stumps. 
They ate the dry flour in a manner that baffled all attempts at 
imitation. Taking it between their fingers, they tossed it into 
their mouths so neatly that not a grain was lost. No European 
ever tried to perform this teat without powdering his face or his 
clothes, to the amusement of the savages. 

The mandioc supplied them also with their banqueting-drink. 
They prepared it by an ingenious process, which savage man has 
often been cunning enough to invent, but never cleanly enough to 
reject. The roots were sliced, boiled till they became soft, and set 
aside to eool. The young women then chewed them, after which 
they were returned into the vessel, which was filled with water, 
and once more boiled, being stirred the whole time. When this 
process had been continued sufficiently long, the unstrained con- 
tents were poured into earthen jars of great size, and buried up 
to the middle in the floor of the house. The jars were closely 
stopped, and, in the course of two or three days, fermentation took 



Tapioca. 191 

place. They had an old superstition that if it were made by men 
it would be good for nothing. When the drinking-day arrived, 
the women kindled fires around these jars, and served out the 
warm potion in half-gourds, which the men came dancing and 
singing to receive, and always emptied at one draught. They 
never ate at these parties, but continued drinking as long as one 
drop of the liquor remained, and, having exhausted all in one 
house, removed to the next, till they had drank out all in the town. 
These meetings were commonly held about once a month. De Lery 
witnessed one which lasted three days and three nights. Thus, 
man, in every age and country, gives proof of his depravity, by 
converting the gifts of a bountiful Providence into the means of 
his own destruction. 

Mandioca is difficult of cultivation, — the more common sj>ecies 
requiring from twelve to eighteen months to ripen. Its roots have 
a great tendency to spread. Cut slips of the plant are inserted in 
large hills, which at the same time counteract this tendency, and 
furnish it with a dry soil, which the mandioca prefers. The roots, 
when dug, are of a fibrous texture, corresponding in appearance to 
those of the long parsnip. The process of preparation is first to 
wash them, then remove the rind, after which the pieces are held 
by the hand in contact with a circular grater turned by water- 
power. The pulverized material is then placed in sacks, several 
of which, thus filled, are subjected to the action of a screw-press 
for the expulsion of the poisonous liquid. The masses thus solidi- 
fied by pressure are beaten fine in mortars. The substance is 
next transferred to open ovens, or concave plates, heated beneath, 
where it is constantly and rapidly stirred until quite dry. The 
appearance of the farinha, when well prepared, is very white and 
beautiful, although its particles are rather coarse. It is found upon 
every Brazilian table, and forms a great variety of healthy and 
palatable dishes. The fine substance deposited by the juice of the 
mandioca, when preserved, standing a short time, constitutes the 
tapioca of commerce, so well known in the culinary departments 
of North America and Europe, and is now a valuable export from 
Brazil. 

Another species, called the Aipim, (manihot Aipim,) is common. 
It is destitute of all poisonous qualities, and is boiled or roasted, 



192 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and is but little inferior to the potato or the large Italian 
chestnut. It has further the advantage of requiring but 
eight months to ripen, although it cannot be converted into 
farinha. 

JNot far from Praia Grande is the foundry, engine-manufactory, 
and ship-yard of Ponte da Area, where four or five hundred 
mechanics and laborers, under European and Brazilian super- 
vision, are turning out works of importance and magnitude. In 
the year 1854, besides kettles, stills, and boilers, this establish- 
ment constructed four steamers with their engines, and two more 
steamers and a bark were upon the stocks. 

But the most attractive part of this side of the water is the 
peaceful and beautiful Bua da Inga and the Praia de Carahy. We 
wind through a thoroughfare — if it can be so called — overhung by 
graceful shade-trees; and on either side, almost hidden by hedges 
of mimosa, creeping and flowering vines, huge plants and cacti in 
gorgeous bloom, are the vermilion roofs and the blue arabesques 
of Brazilian cottages. In a few minutes we reach the Praia de 
Carahy, where the fanning sea-breeze dashes the waves in foaming 
brightness against the shell-paved beach. The scene beyond is 
indescribable in its beauty and its grandeur; and the view of the 
surrounding mountains and Bio de Janeiro nestling at their base 
has often reminded me of the observations of Mr. Hillard in regard 
to Naples and Edinburgh, when he says, "The works of man's hands 
are subordinate to the grand and commanding features of nature 
around and above them : . . . . the magnificent lines and sweeps 
of the landscape eat up the city itself.' 7 

When I gazed from the craggy cliff of Inga upon the rolling 
surf beneath, — the graceful lake-like Bay of Jurujuba on our left, 
the islet of Boa Yiagem before us, crowned with its picturesque 
chapel, dear to mariners and kissed by the breeze-swayed palm- 
tree, and as with silent wonder I beheld far across the water the 
giant groupings of the Pao de Assucar, the Tres Irmaos, the wide 
topped Gavia, the columnar Corcovado, and the distant Tijuca. — 
I could realize the emotions of the same polished and forcibly 
writer when acknowledging the utter impossibility of describing 
the Italian scene to which the Brazilian landscape is equal in 
beauty and superior in sublimity. What Mr. Hillard has said of 




8 w 



& ^< 



The View from Inga. 193 

the glorious environs of Naples is doubly true of the view from 
Inga : — " What words can analyze and take to pieces the parts and 
details of this matchless panorama, or unravel that magic web of 
beauty into which palaces, villas, forests, gardens, the mountains 
and the sea, are woven ? What pen can paint the soft curves, the 
gentle undulations, the flowing outlines, the craggy steeps, and the 
far-seen heights, which, in their combination, are so full of grace, 
and, at the same time, expression ? Words here are imperfect in- 
struments, and must yield their place to the pencil and the graver. 
But no canvas can reproduce the light and color which play around 
this enchanting region. No skill can catch the changing hues of 
the distant mountains, the star-points of the playing waves, the 
films of purple and green which spread themselves over the calm 
waters, the sunsets of gold and orange, and the aerial veils of rose 
and amethyst which drop over the hills from the skies of morning 
and evening." 

Such scenes can he felt, not described. 

If we now turn from the white beach and the magnificent 
Vista de Ingd, and seek the reddish-colored hills which are 
beyond the Bay of Jurujuba, we shall in our rambles frequently 
meet portions of the earth freshly thrown up. This has been done 
by the armadillo; for the pointed snout 
and the strong claws of this little buckler- , ^ ^ 

clad animal admirably adapt him for bur- 
rowing, which operation he performs with 
such astonishing rapidity that it is almost 
impossible to get at him by digging. The 
hunters, in such a case, resort to fire, and 
smoke the armadillo out of his den. Not 
being able to stand the fumes of burning THE ARMADILL0 

wood, the little fellow rushes through the 

new-made aperture, rolls himself up, is easily captured, and his 
delicate flesh is soon consigned to the kitchen. This power of 
enveloping himself so completely in his shell that he appears like 
a round stone or a cocoanut, is a provision of a kind Providence. 
The armadillo cannot run with any degree of rapidity, and, when 
attacked by birds of prey, he rolls himself up like a hedgehog, and 
offers only a solid uniform surface impervious to beaks and talons. 




194 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 




-^o 




Or again, if set upon by a dog or some small quadruped, he " swal- 
lows himself" and rolls down a hill. I have before me a specimen 

of the armadillo that was seized in his 
doubled-up state and thrust immediately 
into boiling water, which has preserved 
him in that position. So little does it re- 
semble the live animal or his natural 
elongated appearance, that no friend to 
whom I have shown him could divine 
what it was, nearly every one taking him 
to be some strange Brazilian nut. The en- 
gravings afford a perfect likeness of him 
from two different points of view : neither 
head nor tail can be made of him, unless 
the triangular piece is his os frontis. 

In returning to Eio de Janeiro, it is 
often an agreeable variety to make the 
passage in &falua.* This is a species of 
boat with lateen sails, and may be of 
twenty or forty tons' burden. They are manned by a captain, who 
steers, takes the three-cent fare, and scolds the poor blacks. When 
it is calm, the more than half-naked negroes slowly pull at the 
long oars, which are so heavy, that, in order to obtain a " pur- 
chase," they are obliged to step up on a sort of bench before them, 
and thus, rising and falling to a monotonous African ditty, they 
form one of the peculiar sights of Eio. Many of the poorer 
classes go as passengers on these faluas; but they are mostly 
used for the transportation of light cargoes to various towns on 
the bay. If we take a falua to the Saude, we pass through vast 
quantities of shipping. 

The great interests of Brazilian commerce draw an immense 
number of vessels from all portions of the globe. Brazil itself pos- 
sesses the second navy of the Western World, and her steam- 
frigates, her sloops-of-war, and her iron-clads rendered essential 
service in overthrowing the tyrants, Rosas in Buenos Ayres and Lopez 
in Paraguay. 

Since 1839, Brazil has had steamship-lines running along the 



* The sail-boats in the engravings on pages 60 and 201 are faluas. 



The Commerce of Brazil. 195 

whole of her four thousand miles of sea-coast, but it was not until 
1850 that steam-communication was established to Europe. It was 
then that the Eoyal British Mail Steamship Company, whose 
vessels start from Southampton, began their monthly voyages. 
In 1857 Brazil had for a short time six different lines of steamers, 
connecting her with England, France, Hamburg, Portugal, Belgium, 
i.nd Italy. The United States, which hitherto had been the 
great commercial rival of Great Britain in Brazil, had not a single 
line of steamers to any portion of South America; and, while 
England was reaping golden harvests, the balance of trade was 
each year accumulating against us. With all this so evident, it did 
seem strange that the General Government of the Union, which 
had aided in extending our mercantile interests by subsidies to 
steamships running to other lands, had been so tardy in regard to 
South America, and especially unmindful of Brazil. England's 
•commerce with Brazil since the establishment of her first steam- 
line in 1850 has increased her exports more than one hundred per 
cent., while the United States required thirteen years to make the 
same advance. Her entire commerce with Brazil, imports and 
exports, advanced two hundred and twenty-five per cent, since 
her first steam-line was established. Each year the balance of 
trade was increasing rapidly against us. In 1860-61 the United 
States exported to Brazil $6,018,394, while in return the United 
States imported from Brazil $22,547,091; or, in other words, only a 
year's trading with Brazil left against us the cash balance of 
$16,528,697, which we had to pay at heavy rates of exchange. 
England, in 1864, sold Brazil $40,612,985, and bought of her in 
return only $33,079,755, thus leaving the latter her debtor. Why 
was there such a disastrous account against us? British steamers, 
energy, and capital, and our neglect, had thus advanced the com- 
merce of England. Our Government and our merchants, notwith- 
standing their boasted enterprise, did next to nothing to foster the 
trade with Brazil. Purchasing as we do half her coffee crop # and 
the greater portion of her India-rubber, there should have been 
an effort on our part to introduce effectually the many produc- 
tions of our country which we can furnish as well as Great Britain 
Our common cottons are better than the imitations of the same 
manufactured at Manchester, England, and yet labelled "Lowell 



196 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

drillings" and "York Mills, Saco, Me." We can furnish many 
kinds of hardware and other items cheaper and better than 
England. The few efforts made by single individuals (as in the 
case of several American merchants) to introduce the labor-saving 
machines of our country have already resulted in the establish- 
ment of a number of Brazilian houses in Rio de Janeiro, where 
one can purchase various articles under the comprehensive name 
of Generos Norte Americanos. In 1878, the United States purchased 
one-third of all the exports of Brazil, but the imports from the 
United States into the Empire were not a seventh of the Brazilian 
imports. In the fiscal year ending June 30 , 1878, we sold Brazil 
$8,610,646, but Brazil sold to the United States $42,972,036. This, 
subject demands investigation from individuals and from our Govern- 
ment. It does not fall within my province to extend this to greater 
length in this portion of the work, but the statistician and the poli- 
tical economist, as well as those who are engaged in commerce, will 
find in the Appendix much information in regard to our business 
relations with Brazil : however, in this connection I will mention 
the efforts of several persons who were among the earliest to foresee 
the benefits arising from steam communication between Brazil and 
the United States. To William Wheelwright, Esq., (the energetic 
founder and entrepreneur of the Pacific Mail steam-line on the west 
coast of South America, the builder of the Copiapo Railway, and the 
late principal contractor for constructing the great Argentine Central 
Railway,) belongs the honor of first suggesting the steam-line from 
New York to Rio de Janeiro. John Gardiner, Esq., for many 3 T ears 
a merchant at Rio, actually made propositions to the United States 
Congress of 1851-52 for effecting this desired object. In 1854, Dr. 
Thomas Raine} T , now Director-in-Chief of the Ferry Company at 
Rio, devoted particular attention to this subject. At a pecuniary loss 
to himself, he travelled twice from Washington to Rio de Janeiro, — 
visiting the Amazon and the West Indies, — going before the Execu- 
tive heads and the statesmen of each Government, and calling atten- 
tion to the important facts which he had elucidated after patient 
investigation. These facts were very striking and convincing, and 
afforded to friends of both lands some of the strongest arguments for 
uniting by steam the two greatest American countries. 

In 1852, the junior author was so impressed with the evidence 



A Steamship Line to Brazil. 197 

before him at Rio that the commerce of Brazil was gliding away 
from the United States, that he wrote a letter on the subject of 
steam communication to the New York Journal of Commerce, and 
from that time forward he continued to agitate in the press, before 
Chambers of Commerce and popular audiences in the United States, 
and by visits to Brazil and by correspondence with Brazilian states- 
men, until a steamship-line was subsidized. 

The late Hon. A. C. Tavares Bastos, (the Brazilian statesman re- 
ferred to on page 186,) hy his essaj-s entitled Cartas do Solitario, 
(Letters of a Hermit,) by his communications to the daily press 
of Rio, and hy his persistent advocac}^ in the Parliament, did much 
among his countiymen to bring about a correct public opinion on 
this subject. 

It was a favorite idea with the friends of this measure that the 
interests of the Western continent should be united ; that the policy 
of the North and South American States should be as far as pos- 
sible American. But the communication with Brazil, and, conse- 
quently, with all South America, was exceedingly difficult. We had 
no means of sending letters and passengers except by sailing- 
vessels, which are slow, unreliable, and but little disposed to accom- 
modate the interests of rivals. Nearly all passengers and letters 
went to Liverpool, thence to Southampton or the Continent, and 
thence to Brazil, La Plata, and the Windward Islands, — a distance 
of nearly nine thousand miles. There was at that time no tele- 
graphic communication with South America. Our commercial men 
not only had to send \>y this most unnatural transit, but were com- 
pelled to submit to the most harassing disadvantages, and were 
almost at the mercj' of European rivals. In June, 1865, the Senate 
of Brazil passed the bill, (brought into the Chamber of Deputies in 
1864,) based on the law of the United States Congress, signed b} T 
President Lincoln, May 28, 1864, to the following effect: that Brazil 
unite with the Government of the United States in granting a joint 
subsidy to a line of steamers making twelve round voyages per annum, 
from New York to Rio de Janeiro, touching at St. Thomas, Para, 
Pernambuco, and Bahia. " The United States and Brazil Mail Steam- 
ship Company " obtained the contract. That contract, suffice to say, 
was (from causes which I will not dwell upon) very disappointing 
in its results, and did not add to the lustre of the American name 
in Brazil. It expired in 1875. 



198 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

In 1877, Colonel W. P. Tisdale began to agitate the subject of 
increasing the trade between the United States and Brazil. After v 
various consultations with Mr. John Roach, of New York, he went 
to Brazil and interested that country in regard to a steamship-line 
from the United States and was successful. But. strange to say. the 
United States Government has yet done nothing for this project, 
which is manifestly its interest. 

Behind the island of Enxadas are the Royal Mail, the French, 
and the Liverpool steamers, which have come over the pleasantest 
route, save one, known in ocean-navigation. I have sailed on 
man}- seas, but only one other voyage which, all things considered, 
is comparable to that from Rio de Janeiro to England. We are out 
of sight of land but six days at the longest stretch, (from Pernain- 
buco to the Cape de Verds :) while the average number of days at 
sea without stopping are two and a half. From Rio to Bahia there 
are but three day?' steaming over summer waters ; and the ten 
or twelve hours at the second city of the Empire gives plenty of 
time for refreshing promenades or rides into the country. In 
less than two days we land at Pernambuco. where we spend from 
twelve to twenty hours, lay in a stock of fine oranges and pine- 
apples, (capital anti-nauseaties.) and perhaps purchase a few scream- 
ing parrots or chattering monkeys to present to our European 
friends. YTe then steam for St. Vincent, (Cape de Verds,) where 
we remain a few hours, and. next steering northward, in forty- 
eight hours we behold, one hundred and fifty miles at sea. the tall 
Peak of Teneriffe lifting itself more than thirteen thousand feet 
from the bosom of the ocean. Here we revel in peaches, pears. 
tigs, and luscious clusters of grapes. — in short, all the fruits of the 
temperate zone. TVe pass through the Canaries, and in thirty 
hours are at Funchal. where the fruit-dose is repeated : a walk upon 
the shore (if health-bill clean) is permitted, and. after being bored 
a few hours by the pedlers and grape- venders, we bid farewell to 
picturesque Madeira, and. at the end of three days, sail up the 
mouth of the Tagus and anchor before Lisbon. When we leave 
Portugal, we steam aloug the coast of Spain, and in three days 
we land at Southampton. Only one other such steamer-voyage 
exists in the world : and those who are in quest of the new. the 



Accessibility of Kio de Janeiro. 199 

strange, and the beautiful, can nowhere so easily and so cheaply 
gratify their wishes in those respects as by the trip from South- 
ampton to Rio, or vice versa. Teneriffe and Madeira are now no 
longer ports of call. But this route is not more attractive than the 
steam- voyage from New York to Rio {via the tropic Isle of St. 
Thomas, Para on the Amazon, and the bright cities of Pernambuco 
and Bahia). It equals in pleasantness the route from Europe to 
Brazil. Mr. Roach's American steamers anchor at Enxadas. 

From the island of Enxadas, on either hand, over vessels from 
the coasting-smack to the largest freighting-ships, may be seen the 
flags of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Russia, Germany, France, Belgium, 
Greece, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, England, the United States, 
the South American Republics, and Brazil. These vessels are 
required to anchor at sufficient distance apart to swing clear of 
each other in all the different positions in which the ebbing and 
flowing tide may place them : thus, boats may pass among them 
at pleasure. 

Situated accessibly as the port of Rio de Janeiro is, upon the 
great highway of nations, with a harbor unrivalled, not only for 
beauty, but also for the security it affords to the mariner, it be- 
comes a touching-point for many vessels not engaged in Brazilian 
commerce. Those that suffer injury in the perils of the sea between 
the equator and the Cape of Good Hope generally put in here for 
repairs. Many sons of the ocean, with dismasted or waterlogged 
vessels, have steered for this harbor as their last hope. At the 
same time, nearly all men-of-war and many merchantmen, bound 
round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, put in here to re- 
plenish their water and fresh provisions. Thus, in the course of 
business and of Providence, missionaries, either outward or home- 
ward bound, were in various instances thrown among us for a 
brief period; and we scarcely knew which to value most, — the pri- 
vilege of enjoying their society and counsel, or that of extending 
to them those Christian hospitalities not always expected on a 
foreign shore. We enjoyed many such visits that will long be 
remembered, and we seemed to be brought directly in contact with 
Russia, India, the Sandwich Islands, and Central and South Africa, 
— the countries where the individuals met with had severally 
labored. 



200 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Such circumstances beautifully illustrate the central position and 
the important character of the harbor of Eio de Janeiro, which 
forms a converging-point for vessels from any port of the United 
States and Europe, and for returning voyages from Australia, Cali- 
fornia, and the islands of the Pacific. 

Annually more than twelve thousand mariners, sailing under the 
flags of England and the United States, are gathered at Eio de 
Janeiro. This class of men demands the earnest attention of the 
philanthropic Christian. If pestilence visits Eio, they are sure to 
fall before it sooner than any other men who resort thither. The 
improvidence of sailors is proverbial, and their general dissipation 
and recklessness are well known. A greater proportion of theso 
men die annually than of those who follow any other calling. 
They therefore really call for most earnest effort in their behalf, 
both morally and physically. 

The exertions that have been made among sailors at Eio from 
time to time have not been entirely in vain. The American Sea- 
men's Friend Society — a noble institution, which has carried the 
church over the world for Americans and Englishmen — established 
a chaplaincy at this port more than twenty years ago. No chapel 
was ever erected, because the peculiar regulations of the port are 
such that vessels lie at anchor away from the shore ; hence it has 
been usual to hold services on board various vessels that might be 
in the harbor. The Bethel flag, with its white dove, would be 
hoisted to the main, and, when unfurled to the breeze, like a 
church-bell, though mute, would call the hardy mariners from the 
various anchorages to come up to the floating tabernacle, there to 
join in the hymn of praise, or to listen, in this distant clime, to 
the lessons of sacred truth. During a number of years it was my 
privilege, in connection with duties on shore, to fill the post of 
American Chaplain. It was my custom, when the port was 
healthy, to visit the English and American vessels each Friday, 
conversing with the oflicers, dropping a word of advice to the 
sailors, and placing in the hand of each a tract to announce the 
ship over which the Bethel flag would float on the following Sun- 
day. When the yellow fever prevailed, I daily attended the hos- 
pitals and boarded the ships to administer the comforts of the 
gospel to the sick and dying sailors. Poor fellows ! Many passed 



The English Cemetery. 



201 



from time into eternity without being able to send a parting mes- 
sage to their distant friends ; but, whenever I could ascertain the 
address of their relatives, I forwarded their dying words, which 
were frequently the outpourings of their faith and hope in Christ. 

In this round of duties I was materially aided by Senhor Leo- 
poldo, the guarda-mor, who, with great kindness, made an exception 
in favor of the chaplain, allowing me to visit all the vessels in port 
without the special daily permit.* 

From the loading-ground to the British Cemetery at Gamboa 
the distance by water is little more than a mile; and often have I 





--iiiiisiy 

ENGLISH CEMETERY AT GAMBOA. 



had to lead the mournful procession from the landing-place up the 
green walks of this quiet and retired resting-place for the dead. 
In this beautiful and secluded spot sleep more than 'one minister- 
plenipotentiary and admiral. Men of eminent station, as well as the 
unknown English and American citizen, the G-erman, the French- 
man, the Swede, and the representatives of the commercial marine 
of almost every nation, here slumber in death. ISTo portion of Eio 



* This courtesy can be better appreciated when the reader is informed that, by 
the narrow and restricted port-laws of Brazil, no one except a custom-house officer 
can visit, without permit, a vessel that is discharging. The penalty for each 
offence is a fine of fiftv dollars. 



202 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

was over more impressive to me. whether it was in reading the 
solemn funeral-service in the hearing of many, or when, with none 
but the sexton. 1 stood by the new-made grave, or when alone 
I wandered through the shady walks. This cemetery belongs to 
the English; but the application of any consul for the burial of a 
deceased person of another nation is never rejected. 

While Englishmen either at home or at Rio have done so much, 
toward preparing and beautifying a suitable resting-place for the 
dead, they have sadly neglected the living who come to this mart. 
There is regular service for those who reside in the city: but for 
the six thousand mariners who sail hither under the English Hag, 
no provision has been made. The duties of the English chaplain 
eonhne him to the shore; and. though occasionally English officers 
and masters go to the chapel, the sailor is neglected. It may be 
said. "There stands the chapel; let him go thither." Men who are 
not accustomed to the sound of the church-going bell, and whose 
proclivities are not particularly God-ward, have some hesitation to 
row one mile upon the water, and then, in a tropic clime, to walk 
another, in a strange city, to a house of worship with which they 
do not ieel associated by ordinary local ties. For such men. either 
the English Bethel Union, or some benevolent association connected 
with the Established Church or with Pissenters. should make pro- 
vision for regular worship. If men will not come to the gospel, we 
must take it to them; and the most earnest workman in the vine- 
yard of our Master will tind enough to do among the English sailors 
in the harbor of Eio de Janeiro. The lower class of English laborers, 
either in the mines or engaged in the construction of railways, is 
annually increasing, and it is hoped that the effort for ameliorating 
the moral condition of the resident workmen, so auspiciously begun 
at the Saude. may be followed up on the vast water-parish which 
is ever to be found floating on the commodious bay. I am aware 
that there are those who look upon it as a more hopeful task to 
labor for the good oi souls among the heathen than for seamen. 
While I would not have a single soldier called in from the distant 
outposts, I do believe that, under the circumstances, no distant 
held is more encouraging than caring for the spiritual welfare of 
those who •• go down to the sea in ships." They may be termed a 
••hard set;" but they have noble and generous qualities and great 



Brazilian Funerals. 



203 



temptations. It therefore becomes the English Christian not to 
rest until in every important foreign port he establishes worship 
for the sailor. (1866, the Gamboa Cemetery is exclusively English.) 
The English Chapel is situated in Eua dos Barbonos, near the 
Largo da Mai do Bispo. This neat little edifice was erected in 1823, 
almost immediately after the achievement of Brazilian Independ- 
ence. Service is held here each Sunday morning at eleven o'clock, 
and the English resident experiences a homelike feeling when he 
finds himself surrounded by his countrymen, and listens to the 
sacred and beautiful service to which he was accustomed in the 




THE ENGLISH CHAPEL. 



land of his birth. It is, however, painful to reflect that so few avail 
themselves of the opportunity which this chapel affords for hearing 
the truth. The attendance is better since Rev. Mr. Preston's arrival. 
Compared with all other English chapels which I have visited in 
many foreign lands, that of Rio de Janeiro is the least frequented. 
There are a number of Roman Catholic cemeteries in the vicinity 
of the city, which belong to the different brotherhoods. The Bra- 
zilian funerals are conducted with much pomp. Formerly inter- 
ments took place in the churches ; but, since 1850, there have been 
no intermural burials. Carriages and outriders, and a long train 
of friends in vehicles, make up the procession. There are not, to a 
great extent, those peculiar customs and ceremonies which were 



204 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

formerly consequent upon a death in a Brazilian family. There is 
more parade than upon the Continent, and probably more, since the 
burial-reform, than in England. The deceased child, often decked 
with flowers, is borne to the grave in an open hearse with gilded 
pillars. The driver of the hearse, the footman, and the four out- 
riders, upon white horses, are in red livery. Custom forbids the 
presence of women at a funeral, and also the attendance of very 
near relatives. If the deceased be above ten years of age, the im- 
mediate relatives remain at home for eight days, during the first 
of which a profound silence is maintained. When friends come to 
offer their sympathy, the customary salutation of those who enter 
is, "Will you permit me to offer my condolence for the loss you 
have sustained?" Silence is then preserved by both parties, and, 
after some minutes, the visitor withdraws. 

From the cemetery of Gamboa is a vista of the Serra de Tijuca; 
and among the many jaunts near the city, none surpasses in inte- 
rest the ride up these mountains. Passing through the long street 
of Engenho Yelho, which is lined with the residences of wealthy 
families, each surrounded with its chacara or grounds, that glow 
with the fadeless verdure of mangueiras, orange-groves, and palms, 
interspersed with flowers of the brightest hues, we reach the foot 
of the mountain. Here are many picturesque villas, each having 
piazzas in front, and often approached by a large stone gateway, 
where, in the evening, the family sit to amuse their listless hours 
by watching the passers-by. These country-residences are built in 
a style that accords well with the glowing climate. The pediments 
and cornices of the houses are ornamented with arabesques on a 
ground of vivid blue. No ugly clusters of smoking chimneys 
deform the roofs. The white walls glitter amid the dark foliage, 
or stand in strong relief against the steep mountain-sides. The 
native families generally live on the plain, and near the ever- 
attractive road; but the Englishman, true to his national character, 
climbs the mountain and builds an eyrie among the clouds. 

On arriving at a mineral spring, called Agoa Ferrea, you quit 
the railway for the more agreeable mode of travel afforded by 
horse or mule. It is true that invalids and hard-hearted people 
may cause four mules to drag them up the steep ascent. But no 
od e possessing eyes, taste, and health, should miss the opportunity 



Tijuca. 205 

of a horse-back ride. It is difficult to speak calmly of the scenery 
about Bio. No pen can do justice to the view that meets the eye 
half-way up the mountain. A good cicerone will keep your atten- 
tion fixed on the flowers that adorn the left bank of the road 
until he reaches a low part of the brushwood and pulls in his 
horse, exclaiming, "Look!" A wondrous view it is that bursts 
upon you. There, unfurled before you, like a fairy panorama, 
are the bay with its islands, the distant mountains blending with 
the clear blue sky, — a dark precipitous cliff on the right, pouring 
down its tiny cascades in silvery lines, that relieve its barren stern- 
ness, and on the left a high hill, covered with glossy-leaved coffee- 
plants : on the plain below rises a single mound, and beyond is the 
gleaming city, — its white edifices peacefully encircling the green 
hills of Conception, San Bento, and Antonio. Nothing but a large 
oil-painting can convey any just idea of this view; and it was here 
that an English painter took his stand for his tropic landscape. 
Leutsinger has the best photographs of Bio scenery. 

After a long gaze you turn away only half satisfied, and imme- 
diately lose sight of all on that side of the mountain, but soon dis- 
cover the open sea beyond the opposite descent. A few minutes more 
brings you to Bennett's Hotel. Mr. B. was an intelligent Eng- 
lishman, who erected in this beautiful spot a boarding-house, where 
many of the foreign residents pass the hot months. Here, while 
only eight miles from the Braca do Commercio, far from the heat 
and noise of the busy city, we could spend our days and nights in 
ease and comfort. No mosquitoes fright away sleep with their 
fierce war-whoops; no cockroaches— or baratas, as they are called — 
crawl over your feet as you sit in the piazza. But do not imagine 
that there is total stillness. On the contrary, the air is vocal with 
the sounds of that portion of animated nature which loves to dis- 
turb nocturnal hours. Bre-eminent above all is the staccato music 
of the blacksmith-frog, whose substantial body a man's hands 
could not enclose, and every sound that he produces rings upon 
the ear like the clang of a hammer upon an anvil, while the tones 
uttered by his congeners strikingly resemble the lowing of distant 
cattle. 

Not far from Bennett's are the coffee-plantations of Mr. Lescene 
and of Mr. Moke, which are among the very first that were culti- 



206 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

vated in Brazil ; and, as they are the only fazendas near to the city, 
no stranger should omit an early walk to the lovely valley where 
they are found. 

The excursions from the boarding-house are most varied and 
interesting. To climb the Pedra Bonita and gaze upon the moun- 
tain-landscape and the far-off meeting of sky and ocean is the 
delightful work of a few hours. The charm of Tijuca is that, 
while its climate is unchanging June, and its verdure tropical, it 




BENNETT'S, TIJUCA. 

possesses the sparkling cascades and thundering waterfalls of 
Switzerland. If we wander from Bennett's toward Kio, and 
turn to our left, a few moments will bring us to a limpid stream 
which hangs like a ribbon down the mountain-side, and sends up 

" Brave notes to all the woods around, 
When morning beams are gathering fast, 
And hush'd is every human sound." 

This beautiful fall is said to come from a height of three hundred 
feet, and reminded me of the leaping brooks of the Yalley of the 
Bhone, or the graceful cascade of Arpenaz, that swings from an 
Alpine cliff into the sweet vale of Maglan. Or again, if we ride 
for a half-hour in the opposite direction from the mountain 
boarding-house, we reajch a wild and verdant spot, where, dismissing 



Excursions. 207 

our horses, we climb up through banana-fields and forest, and reach 
the foaming waters of the Cascata Grande. Here the Tijuca Eiver 
leaps for sixty feet or more over a rocky inclined plain, presenting, 
when the volume is increased, an imposing appearance; but, when 
the stream is only supplied by the clear springs of the Serra, it 
glides down in a transparent sheet, revealing the shining rock 
beneath. The river pursues its way over a rock-bed down the 
mountain, and loses itself in the lake which mirrors the giant 
Gavia. 

Mr. Ewbank, who is usually very correct in his facts, has 
curiously departed from his accustomed precision in the statement 
that it was " in this secluded retreat that the Bishop of Eio lay 
concealed during the troubles with the French Protestants of 
Coligny's time." No " Bishop of Eio" was in existence " during 
the troubles of Coligny's time." The only bishopric in Brazil for 
many years was that of Bahia. The French were finally expelled 
from the Bay of Eio de Janeiro in 1567, and it was not until this 
was effected that the city of San Sebastian or Eio de Janeiro was 
founded. Mr. Ewbank was doubtless misled by some one informing 
him that the remains near the Cascata Grande were those of walls 
erected for the bishop when the French took possession of Eio. 
This is perfectly correct; for in 1711, after the disastrous defeat of 
the French commander Du Clerc, (in 1710,) Du Guay Trouin came 
with an avenging squadron to Eio de Janeiro, and on such a scale 
were his preparations that the inhabitants fled to the mountains 
of Tijuca, and there remained until the city was taken and sacked, 
and did not return before Trouin had sailed away with his heavy 
ransom. 

But if Mr. Ewbank has been led into error so far as a date is 
concerned, he has more than made up for it by his beautiful and 
graphic painting of the bright Falls of Tijuca, as it appeared to him 
when taking a picnic-dinner upon the glistening stones: — "Oui 
table extended into the channel; and there we banqueted and 
reclined amid scenery far excelling that which Pliny's Lauren tinum 
dining-chamber opened on. Shielded from the sun by nature's 
parasols, far from the busy scenes of artificial life, not a carking 
care to trouble us, and our spirits airy as our dresses, we laughed 
and talked and dipped our cups in the crystal stream as people did 



208 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in the golden age. Flora adorned the hanging shrubbery j Pomona, 
from the distance, looked on; zephyrs played round us; and 
naiads — if naiads there be — frisked in the falls and threw spray at 
us as they glided by." 

From Tijuca there is a very fine excursion around the base of the 
Gavia, high up whose steep sides are certain curious hieroglyphics, 
which have long occupied the attention of the learned. These 
characters seem like Boman letters ; but the best explanation of 
their existence upon this precipitous wall is that nature has 
chiselled them by rains and sun, and, perhaps in times remote, by 
little shrubs, whose seeds, deposited by wandering birds, have 
grown in the crevices until their swelling roots have aided the raiD 
in prying off friable portions of the rock. 

This excursion can be extended upon the wave-washed beach 
around to the Botanical Gardens, above which, from one of the 
lesser hills, is a prospect not excelled by the views of Como and 
Maggiore. The abrupt Corcovado presents a new face as it looks 
down upon the calm Lagoa das Freitas. The stately palms of the 
Jardim Botanico seem from our elevation like the trees of a child's 
toy garden. The Serra, across the Bay of Bio, takes every shade 
of purple and blae during the daytime, and, as the sun at eventide 
darts his rays athwart the Pao de Assucar and the Irmaos, the dis- 
tant white fortress of Santa Cruz stands out from waters and moun- 
tains of rose. A lady friend, who sketched for me the opposite en- 
graved scene, accompanied the gift with this remark in regard to 
the exquisite tints of that tropic region : — " Years of familiarity 
never destroyed for me the loveliness and marvellousness of these 
hues, which a painter would hesitate to put upon canvas for exhi- 
bition to the inhabitants of a less genial zone." There is less 
difficulty, however, in transferring to the sketch-book the bold out- 
lines of those peculiar-shaped mountains which abound throughout 
almost every league of the capital province of the Empire; and 
the many scenes presented in this portion of " Brazil and the Bra- 
zilians," which were taken to support no argument of mine, will 
expose the absurdity as well as the inaccuracy of the descriptions 
given, even in the latest American edition of McCulloch, of " the 
neighborhood of Bio de Janeiro," which " consists in a great mea- 
sure of plains" ! 



An Old Friend. 



209 



The Botanical Gardens, to which we can now easily descend, is 
situated in this romantic spot, and is reached from the city by a 
fine turnpike which leads through Botafogo and under the shadow 
of Corcovado. It is not a flower-garden, but rather a Jardin des 
Plantes,wherQ rare exotics, from the tiniest parasite up to the loftiest 
palm, come under our inspection. Here you may behold groves of 
cinnamon and clove trees, acres of Chinese tea, the Nogaras da 
India, the bread-fruit, cacao and camphor trees, besides many others 
that are objects of great curiosity. There was one tree, half hidden 




LAGOA OE FREITAS. 



by the dome-shaped mangueiras, that I often visited with peculiar 
emotions of pleasure. It was a small North American maple. As 
I looked upon that little tree, — an exotic in this distant land, where 
no wintry blasts would strip it of its foliage, where not even an 
autumnal frost would robe it in those gorgeous hues which the 
flowers of this summer clime hardly surpass, — I could sympathize 
with the Bedouin of the desert who, upon beholding the palm-tree 
in the Jardin des Plantes of Paris, was transported far over moun- 
tain and sea to the country of his nativity. The most surprising 
sight to the Northern stranger in the Botanical Gardens is the long 
avenue of the Palma Eeal, (Oreodoxa regia,) which we enter from 
the great gate, and which, in its regularity, extent, and beauty, is 

14 



210 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

unrivalled. It is a colonnade of natural Corinthian columns, whose 
graceful, bright-green capitals seem to support a portion of the 
blue dome that arches above. 

But the sun's last rays are empurpling the granite peaks around 
us, and, after a gallop through the villa-lined San Clemente, we 
reach Botafogo. The lamps are already twinkling, and throw 
their light upon the edge of that graceful little bay where the gay 
regatta holds its annual festivity. Five minutes more, we dismount 
at the Hotel dos Estrangeiros; and thus we have accomplished tho 
entire circuit of the city San Sebastian de Bio de Janeiro. 

Note/or 1879. — No one who has not recently visited Tijuca can have a just 
idea of the many improvements that have taken place in that charming spot. 
Where else in the world will you find all the adjuncts of gas, (from the city mains,) 
running water, fine gardens on a verdure-clad peak 1300 feet above the level of the 
sea ! At Bennett's, the accommodations of the most excellent hotel are more than 
doubled; and, by the tasteful horticultural adornments and other important addi- 
tions, this mountain and valley home is rendered more attractive than ever. 



CHAPTEE XII. 

THE CAMPO SANTA ANNA — THE OPENING OF THE ASSEMBLEA GERAL — HISTORY OF 

EVENTS SUCCEEDING THE ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO II. THE REGENCY 

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM CONDITION OF POLITICAL PARTIES BEFORE THE 

REVOLUTION OF 1840 — DEBATES IN THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES ATTEMPT AT 

PROROGATION — MOVEMENT OF ANTONIO CARLOS — DEPUTATION TO THE EMPEROR 
— PERMANENT SESSION ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO'S MAJORITY — THE ASSEM- 
BLY'S PROCLAMATION — REJOICINGS NEW MINISTRY PUBLIC CONGRATULATIONS 

REAL STATE OF THINGS MINISTERIAL PROGRAMME PREPARATIONS FOR THE 

CORONATION — CHANGE OF MINISTRY — OPPOSITION COME INTO POWER — CORONA- 
TION POSTPONED SPLENDOR OF THE CORONATION FINANCIAL EMBARRASS- 
MENTS DIPLOMACY — DISSOLUTION OF THE CAMARA PRETEXT OF OUTBREAKS — 

COUNCIL OF STATE RESTORATION OF ORDER — SESSIONS OF THE ASSEMBLY — 

IMPERIAL MARRIAGES MINISTERIAL CHANGE PRESENT CONDITION. 

The usual carriage-route to and from Gamboa is through the 

Campo de Santa Anna. Man}' important public buildings are upon 

the side of this large square. The railway station, an extensive 

garrison, the Camara Municipal, the National Museum, the Palace 

of the Senate, the Foreign Office, and one of the large opera-houses, 

are to be found on different portions of the park. It presents an 

animated scene on the 3d of May, when the session of the As- 

semblea Geral is opened by the Emperor in person. The procession 

from St. Christovao to the Palace of the Senate is not surpassed in 

scenic effect by any similar pageant in Europe. The foot-guards, 

(halberdiers,) with their battle-axes, — the dragoons and the hussars 

in picturesque and bright uniforms, — the mounted military bands, — 

the large state-carriages, with their six caparisoned horses and 

liveried coachmen and postillions, — the chariot of the Empress, 

drawn by eight iron-grays, — the magnificent Imperial carriage, 

drawn by the same number of milk-white horses decked with 

Prince-of- Wales plumes, — and the long cavalcade of troops, — form a 

pageant worthy of the Empire. The six coaches-and-six are for 

211 



212 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the officers of the Imperial household. Her Majesty Dona Theresa 
is surrounded by her maids of honor in their robes and trains of 
green and gold. Believing that some fair readers will be gratified 
with the details of Dona Theresa's toilette, one who is better ac- 
quainted than I am with ladies' costume says that the habillement 
of the Empress, on state-occasions, is an under-dress of white satin, 
heavily embroidered with gold, with a profusion of rich lace falling 
deeply over the corsage and forming its sleeves. These are looped 
up with diamonds magnificent in size and lustre. The train is of 
green velvet, with embroideries in gold corresponding with those 
of the skirt. Her head-dress, with the hair worn in long ringlets 
in front, is a wreath of diamonds and emeralds in the shape of 
flowers rising into the form of a coronet over the forehead, and 
from which a white ostrich-feather falls gracefully to the shoulder. 
A broad sash, the combined ribbons of different orders, — scarlet, 
purple, and green, — crosses the bust from the right shoulder to the 
waist, above which a mass of emeralds and diamonds of the first 
water sparkles on her bosom. Her smile is one of engaging sweet- 
ness, which is not assumed on mere state-occasions, but is seen 
habitually, whether this Neapolitan princess is accompanying her 
august spouse in an afternoon ride, or whether with a single 
attendant she grants a private audience to those who desire to pay 
their homage to her majesty. 

The Emperor is indeed a Saul, — head and shoulders above his 
people ; and in his court-dress, with his crown upon his fine, fair 
brow, and his sceptre in his hand, whether receiving the salutes 
of his subjects or opening the Imperial Chambers, he is a splendid 
specimen of manhood. His height, when uncovered, is six feet four 
inches, and his head and body are beautifully proportioned: at a 
glance one can see, in that full brain and in that fine blue eye, that 
he is not a mere puppet upon the throne, but a man who thinks. 

The opening of the Chambers is always performed by His Majesty 
in person. He reads a brief address from the throne, setting forth 
the condition and necessities of the Empire, and then, pronouncing 
the session aberta, descends from the dais, followed in procession 
to his Imperial carriage by all the dignitaries of court and mem- 
bers of the Assembly. The cortege returns to San Christovao 
through streets that are decorated with hangings of crimson silk 



The Opening of the Assemblea Geral. 213 

and satin brocade. There is not the enthusiasm attending this 
ceremony which is manifested at the inauguration of a new Presi- 
dent of the United States, but the circumstances are different : the 
opening address of the Emperor corresponds to the annual message 
of the President, and there is no occasion for the jubilatic proceed- 
ings which are the concomitant parts of an inauguration. The 
monarchial principle is deeply imbedded in the heart of the Bra- 
zilian, and, in its adaptation to them and their country, it is 
infinitely superior to republicanism. 

It is appropriate, in connection with the opening of the Assemblea 
Geral, to give a sketch of the events succeeding those which 
brought the present Emperor to the throne of Brazil. 

It will be remembered that it was in the Campo de Santa Anna 
that the citizens assembled in April, 1831, and demanded D. Pedro I. 
to restore the ministry which was the favorite of the people. Upon 
the refusal of the monarch to this request, repeatedly and respect- 
fully urged through proper magistrates, several divisions of the 
army and the national guard joined the populace. An adjutant 
was sent to the Palace of San Christovao for a final answer, which 
was given in the abdication of the monarch under circumstances 
which command our highest admiration. 

The Adjutant (Miguel de Frias Vasconeellos) returned at full 
gallop from San Christovao with the decree of abdication in his 
hand. It was received with the liveliest demonstrations of joy, 
and the morning air rang with "vivas" to Dom Pedro the Second. 

At an early hour all the Deputies and Senators in the metropolis, 
together with the ex-Ministers of State, assembled in the Senate- 
House and appointed a provisional Eegency , consisting of Vergueiro, 
Francisco de Lima, and the Marquis de Caravellas, who were to 
administer the government until the appointment of the permanent 
Regency provided for by the Constitution. The son in favor of 
whom this abdication was made was not six years old : neverthe- 
less, he was borne in triumph to the city, and the ceremony of his 
acclamation as Emperor was performed with all imaginable enthu- 
siasm. During the progress of these events, the corps diplomatique 
had assembled at the house of the Pope's nuncio, to determine on 
what course they should take in the progressing revolution. Mr. 
Brown, the American charge d'affaires, declined being present at 



214 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

this meeting, apprehending that its special design was to protect 
the common interests of royalty. Those who met, however, agreed 
to present an address to the existing authorities, in which, after 
stating that the safety of their several countrymen was perilled in 
the midst of the popular movements then taking place, they de- 
manded for them the most explicit enjoyment of the rights and 
immunities conceded by the laws and treaties of civilized nations 
They furthermore resolved to wait upon the ex-Emperor in a body, 
to learn from his own lips whether he had really abdicated ! 

These measures were highly offensive to the new Government, 
being considered in the light of an uncalled-for interference. That 
Government was at the same time highly pleased with the course 
pursued by Mr. Brown, and also by Mr. Gomez, the charge from 
Colombia, who dissented from the policy of the monarchial diplo- 
matic agents. The Minister of State remarked that their conduct 
was that of "true Americans." 

The 9th of April was appointed as the first court-day of Dom 
Pedro II., while the ex-Emperor still remained in the harbor. A 
Te Deum was chanted in the Imperial Chapel. The troops appeared 
in review; and an immense concourse of people, wearing leaves of 
the "arvore nacional" as a badge of loyalty, filled the streets. 
They detached the horses from the Imperial carriage, so that they 
might draw their infant sovereign with their own hands. When 
he had been conveyed to the palace he was placed in a window, 
and the unnumbered multitude passed before him. After this he 
received the personal compliments of the corps diplomatique, none 
of whom were absent, notwithstanding the recent excursion on 
board the "VYarspite. 

The new Government courteously offered Dom Pedro I. the use 
of a public ship. He declined it, on account of the delay and ex- 
pense that would be necessary to its outfit; remarking, at the same 
time, that his good friends, the Kings of Great Britain and France, 
could well afford him the conveyance for himself and family which 
had been offered by their respective naval commanders on that 
station. 

On the 17th of June the Assemblea Geral proceeded to the elec- 
tion of the permanent Begency. The individuals elected were Lima, 
Costa Carvalho, and Joao Braulio Muniz. The General Assembly 



The Regency. 215 

was occupied during this session by exciting debates on the subject 
of constitutional reform. 

Senhor Antonio Carlos de Andrada presided in the Chamber of 
Deputies. Jose Bonifacio, who had been appointed by the ex-Em- 
peror as tutor to his children, was recommissioned by the Assemblea, 
that body having decided that the former appointment was invalid, 
On accepting his charge, that distinguished Brazilian declared that 
he would receive no compensation for the services he might render 
in that important capacity, — which declaration he maintained in 
the spirit of a true patriot. 

Notwithstanding the magnitude of the revolution that had so sud- 
denly transpired, the public tranquillity was scarcely at all disturbed. 

On the 7th of October official despatches arrived, bringing the 
congratulations of the Government of the United States upon the 
new order of things. This was the first demonstration of the senti- 
ments of other nations that was communicated at the Brazilian 
court, and as such was received with peculiar satisfaction. 

In the month of April, 1832, two military riots occurred in Rio 
de Janeiro, and in July following the Minister of Justice, in his 
public report, seized the occasion to denounce the venerable Jose 
Bonifacio, on suspicion of his having connived at the preceding 
disturbances. The report of a committee in the Camara dos Depu- 
tados demanded his dismission without a hearing. The Camara 
agreed to this by a bare majority, but the Senate dissented, and 
that plot for degrading Andrada failed. The Regents sent in their 
resignation to the General Assembly. A deputation from the 
Chamber of Deputies besought them to remain in office. They 
consented, but immediately organized a new ministry. 

The next year, however, the opposition triumphed, not in veriiy- 
ing these unjust accusations, but in deposing the old patriot as 
tutor to the young Emperor. 

The year 1834 was celebrated on account of the important 
changes that were made in the Constitution of the Empire. One 
of these created annual assemblies in the provinces, instead of the 
general councils before held. The members of the provincial 
assemblies were to be elected once in two years. Another abo- 
lished the triple Regency, and again conferred that office upon a 
single individual, to be elected once in four years. 



216 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

After the election for Sole Eegent took place, the Senate delayed 
for a long time the announcement of the successful candidate; but 
at length it was made known that Diogo Antonio Feijo, of San 
Paulo, had received a large majority of the electoral votes. Feijo, 
although a priest, had been for many years engaged in political 
life, and only two years before had been elected a Senator. One 
of the last acts of the preceding administration had been to appoint 
him Bishop of Mariana, a diocese including the rich province of the 
Minas. Feijo was installed Sole Eegent on the 12th of October, 
1835. On the 24th he issued a judicious proclamation to the Bra- 
zilian people, setting forth the principles that he intended to observe 
in his administration. 

The agitated question of the Eegency being settled, affairs as- 
sumed a more permanent aspect. Several foreign nations, at this 
juncture, advanced their diplomatic agents to the highest grade. 
The United States were desired to do the same, but did not consent. 

In 1836 the Government, among other suggestions for the public 
good, proposed to employ Moravian missionaries to catechize the 
Indians of the interior. This measure, together with every other ori- 
ginated by this administration, was opposed with the utmost rancor 
and bitterness by Vasconcellos, a veteran politician of great abili- 
ties and uncommon eloquence, but of doubtful principles and bad 
morals. Notwithstanding the arts and power of Vasconcellos, the 
leading measure of the administration prevailed. This was a loan 
of two thousand contos of reis (£200,000) for the temporary relief 
of the treasury. Open and active rebellions were at this time in 
progress in Eio Grande do Sul, and also in Para. Their influence, 
however, was scarcely apparent at the capital, where every thing 
seemed quiet and prosperous. The General Assembly was slow in 
making provision to suppress these outbreaks, and when they were 
about to adjourn Feijo prolonged the session a month, "that the 
members might do their duty." Movements for the abolition of 
the Eegency, and the installation of the young Emperor, had 
already commenced, even at this early day. At times, and in 
favorable circumstances, they became more apparent. 

Feijo's administration was not calculated to be popular. His 
character partook of the old Eoman sternness. When he had once 
marked out a course for himself, he followed it against all opposi- 



Condition of Parties. 217 

tion. Disinclined to ostentation himself, he did not countenance it 
in others. He neither practised nor abetted the usual arts of flat- 
tering the popular will. He sometimes changed his ministers, but 
his advisers seldom or never. At length, so embarrassed did he 
find himself between the rebellion of Eio Grande and the factious 
opposition that checked his measures for repressing it, that he 
determined to retire from his office. 

On the 17th of September, 1837, Feijo abdicated the Eegen y, 
and the opposition party came into power. Pedro Araujo Lima, 
then minister of the Empire, assumed the Kegency by virtue of a 
provision of the Constitution, although Vasconcellos was the prime 
mover in the new order of affairs. No commotion took place, and 
it was evident that the strength of the new Government consisted 
in union. A different policy was adopted toward the boy Emperor. 
Feijo had been distant and unceremonious; the new administration 
became over-attentive. More display was made on public occasions, 
and the inclinations of a people passionately fond of the^pomp and 
circumstance of royalty began to be fully gratified. In October, 
1838, the votes of the new election were canvassed, and Lima was 
installed Eegent. His term of office was to cover the minority of 
the Emperor. 

Whether the Eegent himself expected such a result or not, it 
soon became apparent that the dignity of his office was quite 
eclipsed by the new honors with which the young sovereign was 
complimented. The frequent changes of ministry hitherto had 
embarrassed the diplomacy of the Brazilian Government, and had 
caused much dissatisfaction to foreign powers, who were unwilling 
to see their claims neglected from any cause. By degrees, how- 
ever, the foreign as well as the internal affairs of the Government 
became more permanently adjusted. 

The year 1840 was signalized in Brazil by a new and startling 
political revolution, which resulted in the abolition of the Eegency. 
The Emperor, Dom Pedro II., was now in his fifteenth year; and 
the political party opposed to the Eegent and the existing ministry 
espoused the project of declaring his minority expired, and of 
elevating him at once to the full possession of his throne. This 
project had been occasionally discussed during the last five years. 
But it had always been characterized as premature and absurd. It 



218 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

was argued that the Constitution limited the minority of the 
sovereign to the age of eighteen years, and that was early enough 
for any young man to have the task of governing so vast an Em- 
pire. On the other hand, it was urged that, as to responsibility, the 
Constitution expressly provided that none should attach itself to 
the Emperor under any circumstances. Hence an abolition of the 
Eegency would, as matter of course, devolve the powers of the 
regent upon some other officer. There would be one difference, 
however. The Eegent, as such, enjoyed the privileges of royalty 
itself, being also perfectly irresponsible. This circumstance was 
urged as a great and growing evil. However desirable it was for 
a sovereign to possess the attribute of irresponsibility, it was a. 
dangerous thing for a citizen, accidentally elevated to office, to 
have the power of dispensing good or evil without expecting to 
answer for his conduct. As these subjects were discussed, much 
feeling was aroused ; but the best-informed persons supposed that 
the Eegent* would be able to defeat the plan laid for his overthrow. 

The debate upon the motion in the House of Deputies to declare 
the Emperor of age began early in July, and at first turned 
principally upon constitutional objections. The legislature had, in 
fact, no power to amend or overstep the Constitution. But the 
plan was arranged, minds were heated, and the passions of the 
people began to be enlisted. Violence of language prevailed, and 
personal violence began to be threatened. Antonio Carlos de 
Andrada, already described as a man of great learning and elo- 
quence, but at the same time fiery and uncontrollable, stood forth 
as the champion of the assailing party, accusing the Eegent and 
his ministry of usurpation, especially since the 11th of March, when 
the Imperial Princess, Donna Januaria, became of age. His efforts 
were powerfully resisted, but his cause rapidly gained favor both 
in the Assembly and among the people. 

Galvao, until recently attached to the other party, made an 
impressive speech on the side of immediate acclamation as 
inevitable. 

Alvares Machado demanded that party trammels should now be 
abandoned. "The cause of the Emperor was the cause of the 
nation, and ought to receive the approbation of every lover of the 
country." 



Debates in the House of Deputies. "^ 219 

Navarro, a young but powerful member from Matto Grosso, fol- 
lowed in a violent and denunciatory speech, in which he stigmatized 
the Eegent, and all his acts, in the most opprobrious language. 
While in the heat of his harangue, he suddenly exclaimed, " Viva 
a maioridade de sua Majestade Imperial !" The crowded galleries 
had hitherto observed the most religious silence; but this exclama- 
tion drew forth a burst of enthusiastic and prolonged applause. 
Navarro, no longer able to make himself heard, drew his hand- 
kerchief from his bosom to respond to the vivas from the gallery. 
Members of the other party sitting near him imagined they saw a 
dagger gleaming in his hand, and, not knowing whose turn might 
come first, began to flee for their lives. One seized Navarro to 
keep him quiet; but he, not perceiving the reason of the assault, 
furiously repelled it. For a few moments the most intense and 
uncontrollable excitement prevailed; but order was soon restored. 

Crowds of people now assembled out of doors, demanding the 
elevation of the young Emperor. Some went so far as to proclaim 
his majority in the public squares of the city. The ministerial 
party desperately resisted these strange movements in the House, 
but they were unable to stave off the debate. 

Limpo de Abreo, (afterward Yisconde de Abaete,) an ex-minis- 
ter, was in favor of the Eevolution, but he wished it to be a deli- 
berate and consistent one, — at least preceded by the report of a 
committee justifying the step. After much opposition to the mea- 
sure, the committee was appointed, and a momentary calm ensued. 
During the night both parties reviewed their positions. The clubs 
and lodges held their sessions, and the opposition met in caucus. 
The Eegent and his ministry were also in conclave. Vasconcellos, 
the Senator from Minas-Geraes, the veteran politician, but a man 
who had long been obnoxious on account of great moral delin- 
quencies, was called in as their counsellor. 

The session of the Chamber of Deputies next day was opened in 
the midst of the deepest anxiety. The galleries were crowded with 
people. The report of the committee was anxiously looked for, 
and indeed imperiously demanded, but did not appear. 

Navarro accused the majority of the committee of treacherously 
intending delay. He urged the immediate and unceremonious 
declaration of the Emperor's majority. He appealed to the galle 



220 Brazil ash rai Brazilians. 

riee, ai ived a deafening response of vivas - I Iro II. 

Indescribable confusion ensued. The President of the Chamber 
attempted to call up the order of the day; but it was im| issil . '. a 
The absorbing question must be discussed. The 
the Opposition wished the young Emperor's elevation deferred till 
bis birthday. — the 2d of December. The more violent ex ; '.aimed 
vehemently against any delay whatever. The debate was pro- 

:i to an unusual length. In the midst of it a mease 
enter: loenments from the Regent. They were read by 

the Secretary. The first was a nomination of Bernardo Pereira de 
Yasconcellos as Minister of the Empire! At the mention of the 
name ui Vasconeettos, irrepressible sensations :: indigi ition were 
apparent throughout the House. The Secretary ;i to read 

seeoH eument. which proved to be an act of prorogation, 
adjourning the General Assembly over from that moment to the 
20th of November following. 

Confusion and indignation were now at their height. The p : 
in the galleries could not be restrained. They poured down . 
rent of sations upon the administration, mingled with - 

to ihe majority of Pom Pedro II. Anionic Carlos, Martin Fran- 
cisco, the two Andradas,] Iampo de Abreo, sprang to their feet, 
and one after the other enter: vehement protests agi 

this act of madness m the part of the Government, They charged 
the Regent with treason, an hat every Brazilian should 

resist his gh-handed measures. They represented lima as 
clutching. — ith-grasp, the power that was about to escape 

from his hards. him as a usurper, willing to 

sacrifice the m and the thro: hazard of lighting up 

BUDD.es if sivil war in every eorner nfthc Empire. ~V~as::::eellos 
was portray kg a monster whose name was signific every 

and crime thai the worst enemy the Emperor had: but 

- into his hands that the young monarch was i :w betray 
The President of the House attempted to enforce the Act of Pro- 
was prevented. Antonio Carlos de Andrada 

.1 forth, and called upon every Brazilian : follow him 

to the halls of the Senate. — situated upon the Campc he Santa 
Anna, and nearly a mile distant. His friends in the House, and 
the pec :d him. The multitude increased 



Acclamation of Dom Pedro II. 221 

at every step. On the arrival of the Deputies at the Senate, the 
two Houses instantly resolved themselves into joint session, and 
appointed a deputation, with Antonio Carlos at its head, to wait 
upon the Emperor and obtain his consent to the acclamation. 
During the absence of the deputation, several of the Senators en- 
deavored to calm the passions of the people. The multitude with- 
out had increased to the number of several thousand. No soldiers 
appeared ; but the cadets of the Military Academy, in the heat of 
their juvenile enthusiasm, rushed to arms and prepared to defend 
their sovereign. 

Presently the deputation returned, and announced that, after its 
members had represented to the Emperor the state of affairs which 
existed at the present crisis, His Majesty had consented to assume 
the reins of government, and had ordered the Eegent to revoke his 
obnoxious decrees and to pronounce the Chambers again in ses- 
sion. Thunders of applause followed this announcement. The 
enthusiasm of the people knew no bounds. The country was saved, 
and no blood was shed ! The citizens proceeded to congratulate 
one another upon this peaceful triumph of public opinion. 

The discussions of the Assembly turned upon the manner of con- 
summating the revolution which had thus singularly commenced. 
Lima was now stigmatized as the &r-Regent, and was pronounced 
incompetent to reassemble the body which he had tried to pro- 
rogue. The Marquis of Paranagua, President of the Senate, 
declared that neither House was now in session, but that the mem- 
bers of both composed an august popular assemblage, personifying 
the nation, demanding that their Emperor be considered no longer 
a minor. It was finally resolved to remain in permanent session 
until His Majesty should appear and receive in their presence the 
oath prescribed by the Constitution. The Assembly consequently 
remained in the Senate-House all night. A body of the National 
Guards, the alumni of the Military Academy, and numerous citizens, 
also remained to guard them. 

At daylight the people generally began to reassemble. By ten 
o'clock not less than eight or ten thousand of the most respectable 
citizens surrounded the palace of the Senate. At that hour the 
President of the Assembly made a formal declaration of the objects 
of the present convocation. The rolls of both Houses were then 



222 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

called, and the legal number, both of Senators and of Deputies, 
being found present, the President arose and said : — 

"I, as the organ of the Eepresentatives of this nation in General 
Assembly convened, declare that His Majesty Dom Pedro II. is 
from this moment in his majority, and in the full exercise of his 
constitutional prerogatives. The majority of His Majesty Senhor 
Dom Pedro II. ! Viva Senhor Dom Pedro II., constitutional Em- 
peror and perpetual defender of Brazil ! ! Yiva Senhor Dom Pedro 
II. ! ! I" 

Millions of vivas from the members of the Assembly, from the 
spectators in the gallery, and from the multitude in the Campo, now 
rent the air in response, and were prolonged with indescribable 
enthusiasm and delight. Deputations were appointed to wait upon 
His Majesty when he should arrive, and to prepare a proclamation 
for the Empire. At half-past three o'clock the Imperial escort ap- 
peared. His Majesty was preceded by the dignitaries of the palace, 
and followed by his Imperial sisters. On beholding the young 
Emperor, the enthusiasm of the crowd exceeded any former limit. 
Nothing but a reiteration of vivas could be heard in the Campo 
during the whole ceremony. His Majesty was received with all 
possible formality, and conducted to the throne, near which the 
members of the diplomatic corps were already seated in their 
court-uniform. The Emperor now knelt down and received the 
oath prescribed by the Constitution ; and, after the auto de jura- 
mento was read aloud and solemnly signed, the following proclama- 
tion, already drafted by Antonio Carlos de Andrada, and approved 
by the Assembly, was now uttered : — 

"Brazilians! — The General Legislative Assembly of Brazil, re- 
cognising that happy intellectual development with which it has 
pleased Divine Providence to endow his Imperial Majesty Dom 
Pedro II., recognising also the inherent evils which attach them- 
selves to an unsettled government, — witnessing, moreover, the 
unanimous desire of the people of this capital, which it believes to 
be in perfect accordance with the desire of the whole Empire, — viz. : 
to confer upon our august monarch the powers which the Constitu- 
tion secures to him; therefore, in view of such important con- 
siderations, this body has, for the well-being of the country, seen 
fit to declare the majority of Dom Pedro II., so that he may enter 



Public Congratulations. 223 

at once upon the full exercise of his powers as constitutional 
Emperor and perpetual defender of Brazil. Our august monarch 
has just taken in our presence the solemn oath required by the 
Constitution. 

" Brazilians! The hopes of the nation are converted into 
reality. A new era has dawned upon us. May it be one of 
uninterrupted union and prosperity ! May we prove worthy of so 
great a blessing I" 

After the ceremonies of the occasion had been completed, His 
Majesty proceeded to the city palace, accompanied by the National 
Guards and the people. In the evening a numerous and splendid 
reception took place, and the joy of the whole city was manifested 
by a spontaneous and most brilliant illumination. 

To the astonishment of every one, the revolution was now com- 
plete. The Eegency was abolished; perfect tranquillity prevailed ; 
and Dom Pedro II. — the boy who, when six years old, had been 
acclaimed sovereign of a vast Empire — was now at fifteen invested 
with all the prerogatives of his Imperial throne. The youthful 
Emperor was very tall for his age, but not of the handsome pro- 
portions for which he is now so distinguished. His mind was of 
an exceedingly mature cast. As a student he was, it may be said 
without any exaggeration, most remarkable in his tastes, applica- 
tion, and rapid advancement. The study of the natural sciences 
— not a mere smattering of them, but the most thorough and 
abstruse investigation — was his delight; and his facility for ac- 
quiring language was such, that this day he can converse in the 
principal tongues of Europe. It was therefore no empty phrase 
which Antonio Carlos de Andrada used when he spoke of the 
"happy intellectual development" of His young Imperial Majesty. 
He was not a mere " boy Emperor." 

The preceding year had witnessed the inauguration of steam- 
navigation along the whole Brazilian sea-coast, so that the news 
of the recent events at Bio de Janeiro was soon made known in 
every town of the extensive Atlantic board, and by special couriers 
in a few weeks the most remote parts of the wide Empire were 
sending up their vivas for Dom Pedro II. 

Congratulations were the order of the day. Every society, 
every public institution, every province, and nearly every town, 



224 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

from the capital to the remotest parts of the Empire, hastened, on 
the reception of the news, not only to celebrate the event with 
extravagant rejoicing, but also to send a deputation to utter, in the 
presence of the Emperor, their most profound sentiments of joy at 
his elevation to the sovereignty, and their cherished hopes of his 
prosperity and happiness. 

Thus was accomplished, without bloodshed, the third popular 
revolution of Brazil. The Constitution, with the exception of the 
article relating to the majority of the Emperor, remained intact. 

In regard to the peculiar form of rule of the preceding nine 
years, it may be said that there can be no doubt that the govern- 
ment of the Eegency was a benefit to Brazil. During the entire 
period of its existence it had to struggle with serious financial 
difficulties, and also with the formidable rebellion of Eio Grande 
do Sul, besides temporal outbreaks in other provinces. Neverthe- 
less, improvement became the order of the day, and, in various 
ways, was really secured. 

The personal rule of the Emperor commenced under auspicious 
circumstances. He was the object of an enthusiasm which has 
never waned. The two leaders of his first Cabinet were Antonio 
Carlos and Martin Francisco Andrada. Their elder brother, 
Jose Bonifacio, was no more. In 1833, upon his deposition as tutor 
to the Emperor, he withdrew from public life, and retired to the 
beautiful island of Paqueta in the Bay of Bio, where he remained 
until a short time before his death at Nictherohy in 1838. 

Antonio Carlos at the very outset frankly and lucidly set forth 
the principles upon which the ministerial action would be based 
under the new order of things. Those principles were safe and 
consistent; and from the known energy of the Andradas, together 
with their associates, it may be presumed that no efforts were 
spared to put them in practice. 

The nation at large was exhilarated with the idea of the glorious 
revolution that had transpired; but the legislature, tired by its 
recent paroxysms, soon fell back into its old method of doing busi- 
ness. The first leading measure of the opposition was the appoint- 
ment of a Council of State, the members of which were to hold the 
office of special advisers to the Emperor. It became an immediate 
and protracted subject of discussion, but did not succeed till late in 



Preparations for the Coronation. 225 

the following year. Things throughout the Empire moved on in 
their ordinary course, save that, when the subject of the Emperor's 
elevation lost its novelty, that of his approaching coronation became 
the theme of universal interest and of unbounded anticipation. 

The early part of the year 1841 was fixed upon for the corona- 
tion. Preparations for that event were set on foot long in advance 
of the time. Expectants of honors and emoluments attempted to 
rival each other in parade and display. Extraordinary embassies 
were sent out from the different courts of Europe, in compliment 
to the Brazilian throne. 

While diplomatists and politicians were intent upon sharing the 
honors of this occasion, the artisans and shopkeepers of the me- 
tropolis displayed quite as much tact in securing the profits of it. 
Exorbitant prices were demanded for every article of ornament 
and luxury; but those articles had now become necessary, and 
aspiring poverty, not less than grudging avarice, was compelled 
to submit to extortion. 

Before the next session of the General Assembly difficulties had 
occurred which seriously embarrassed the administration. Several 
of the provinces had resisted the new appointments of presidents, 
and in so doing had manifested tendencies to revolution. But the 
most serious evil grew out of the long-standing rebellion in Eio 
Grande do Sul. In the anxiety of the Cabinet to bring this inter- 
nal war to a close, Alvares Machado had been appointed an agent 
of the Government to treat with the rebels. Much confidence had 
been reposed in his personal influence with those in revolt, and he 
had been invested with extraordinary and unconstitutional powers. 
But, with all the facilities offered them, the insurgents refused to 
compromise. Machado was then appointed President of the pro- 
vince. 

In this office, instead of wielding a rod of iron, as his predeces- 
sors had done, or had attempted to do, he adopted conciliatory 
measures, and rather entreated a negotiation. This attitude was 
stigmatized as dishonorable to the Empire, and such an outcry was 
made in regard to it as to excite general alarm lest the interests 
of the throne should be betrayed. This outcry was aimed at tho 
ministry. A change was demanded, and was at length obtained 
On the 23d of March the Andradas and their friends, with a singlo 

15 



226 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

exception, were dismissed ; and thus those who had brought about 
the new order of things were supplanted, just in time for thoir op- 
ponents to secure the decorations and the emoluments that were 
soon to bo distributed. 

Mortifying as this circumstance may have been in some of its 
bearings, it caused no grief to the Andradas in view of their per- 
sonal wishes. They could point to the early days of their political 
prosperity, in proof of their disinterested devotion to their country. 
They could now, as then, retire in honorable poverty, preserving 
the claim of pure patriotism as a more precious treasure than 
wealth or titles. Theirs was the distinction that would cause pos- 
terity to inquire why they did not receive the honors they had 
deserved. Other men were welcome to the ignominy of wearing 
titles they had never merited. 

When the General Assembly convened in May, it was found ex- 
pedient to postpone the coronation. Thus, for two months longer 
this anticipated fete continued to be the all-engrossing topic of 
conversation and of preparation in every circle, from the Emperor 
and Princesses down to the lowest classes. That anxiously-looked- 
for event transpired at length, on the 18th of July, 1841. It was 
magnificent beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. The 
splendor of the day itself, — the unnumbered thousands of citizens 
and strangers that thronged the streets, — the tasteful and costly 
decorations displayed in the public squares and in front of private 
houses, — the triumphal arches, — the pealing salutes of music and 
of cannon, — the perfect order and tranquillity that prevailed in the 
public processions and ceremonies of the day, together with nearly 
every thing else that could be imagined or wished, — seemed to com- 
bine and make the occasion one of the most imposing that over 
transpired in the New World. The act of consecration was per- 
formed in tho Imperial Chapel, and was followed by a levee in the 
palace of the city. Tho illuminations at night were upon a splen- 
did scale, and the festivities of the occasion were prolonged nine 
successive days. 

So far as pomp and parade could promote the stability of a 
(lovernment and secure a lasting respect for a crown, every thing 
was dono for Brazil on that day that possibly could be done with- 
out greater means at command. There were circumstances, how- 



The Council of State. 227 

ever, connected with the monarchial pomp and the lavish expendi- 
tures of this coronation, which could not fail to bo very embarrass- 
ing to those who had to struggle with them. The finances of the 
Empire were at the very lowest ebb, and constantly deteriorating. 
The money used in support of this grand fete, including an expense 
of one hundred thousand dollars for an Imperial crown, was bor- 
rowed, and added to an immense public debt. In addition to this, 
the Government was far from being stable and settled. Jts 
councils were divided, and its policy vacillating. The existence 
of this state of things formed a principal pretext for the splendid 
demonstration alluded to. It was thought to bo an object of the 
first importance to surround the throne with such a degree of 
splendor as would forever hallow it in the eyes of the people. 

After the coronation, the sessions of the General Assembly were 
resumed. On the 23d of November a law was passed establishing 
the Conselho de Estado. This body was modelled upon the double 
basis of the ordinary and extraordinary Privy Councils of Great 
Britain. Among the gentlemen composing this Council were Lima, 
Calmon, Carneiro Leao, and Vasconccllos. The very individuals who 
opposed tho Andradas at the period of the young Emperor's eleva- 
tion, and who wero then put down by acclamation, had, in tho 
short space of a year, not only managed to get back into public 
favor, but also to secure life-appointments of tho most influential 
kind. 

Vasconccllos, it is true, sought no titles. They were playthings 
which he could easily dispense with for the gratification of his 
fellow-partisans. But he loved power, and neither mortifications 
nor defeat diverted him an instant from its pursuit. lie finally 
gained a position which probably suited his inclinations better 
than any other, and in which, as the master-spirit of the body, 
his influence must be widely felt. 

On the 1st of January, 1842, the Honorable Mr. Hunter,* United 
States Charge d' Affaires at Eio de Janeiro, presented to His Majesty 
the Emperor his credentials as envoy-extraordinary and minister- 

* No foreign diplomatist in Brazil left warmer friends than the late Honorable 
Mr. Hunter, of Rhode Island. His accomplishments as a scholar and his afia- 
bility as a gentleman won the hearts of all. 



228 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

plenipotentiary, to which rank he had been advanced. This com- 
pliment was speedily reciprocated by the appointment of the 
Honorable Mr. Lisboa as the minister of Brazil at Washington. 

In continuance of the present historical sketch of Brazilian 
affairs, it is painful to add that the year 1842 was marked by 
repeated and serious disturbances in different parts of the Empire. 
They commenced with the elections for deputies. Yarious frauds 
had been enacted, by suddenly changing the day, hour, and places 
of elections. What was worse, bodies of troops and armed men 
were introduced to influence votes, while crowds of voters were 
brought in from other districts. In short, bribery, corruption, and 
force triumphed over the free exercise of public opinion. It is 
not to be presumed that one party was guilty of these measures 
alone ; but it appeared, in the issue, that the opposition had suc- 
ceeded and that the ministerial party was in the minority. The 
conduct of the ministry was such — though they acted with some 
degree of plausibility in regard to preventing the regular meeting 
of the Assembly and in issuing a decree for an extraordinary 
session — that the sounds of rebellion were heard in parts of the 
Empire which hitherto had been the most faithful and the most 
tranquil. San Paulo and Minas-Geraes were in commotion and 
disorder. The utmost consternation prevailed, and even at the 
capital an incendiary proclamation was posted up at the corners 
of the streets, calling upon the people to free the Emperor from 
the domination which had been imposed upon him, and to rescue 
both the throne and the Constitution from threatened annihilation. 

It is interesting to note that the Brazilians, in their internal 
commotions, put the blame in the right place, and have ever 
rallied around I). Pedro. He, on the other hand, has always 
proved, by his character and by his measures, worthy of their 
devotion. The power of the Emperor of Brazil is not like that 
of the monarch of Bussia, but is as limited as that of the sove- 
reign of the British realm. 

The Government was now driven to extreme measures. The 
militia was called out, and martial law was proclaimed in the 
three disturbed provinces. The supremacy of the law was main- 
tained. The prospects of the Empire were for a short time very 
gloomy and unpromising, but by degrees the storm blew over. 



The Imperial Marriages. 229 

Order was gradually restored without actual hostilities or the loss 
of many lives, The worst consequences of the rebellion were expe- 
rienced in the districts where it occurred, although public con- 
fidence and the national revenue suffered severely. 

The elections at the close of the year occurred with more quiet- 
ness, and on the 1st of January, 1843, the Emperor opened the 
General Assembly in person, and a new ministry was appointed. 
From that time to this there has been a softening down of parties 
and factions ; and, though there has always been a certain amount 
of corruption and un scrupulousness in the political affairs of the 
nation, no great disturbances have affected its welfare, and there 
has been a constant tendency to obedience to law. In connection 
with this, financial difficulties were diminished and national 
prosperity increased. 

The most remarkable public events that transpired at Eio 
during the year 1843 were the Imperial marriages. They were 
celebrated with great rejoicings and all possible splendor. 

As early as July, 1842, the Emperor Dom Pedro II. had rati- 
fied a contract of marriage with Her Eoyal Highness the Most 
Serene Princess Senhora Donna Theresa Christina Maria, the 
august sister of His Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies. The 
marriage was duly solemnized at Naples, and, on the 5th of March, 
a Brazilian squadron, composed of a frigate and two corvettes, 
sailed from Eio de Janeiro to the Mediterranean, to conduct the 
Empress to her future home. 

In the mean time, on the 27th of March, a French squadron 
arrived, under the command of His Eoyal Highness Prince de Join- 
ville, son of Louis Philippe. This was Joinville's second visit to 
Brazil. Soon after his arrival he made matrimonial propositions 
to Her Imperial Highness Donna Francisca, the third sister of the 
Emperor. The customary negotiations were closed with despatch. 
On the 1st of. May the marriage was solemnized at Boa Yista. 
On the 13th of May the Prince and his Imperial bride sailed for 
Europe. 

The Empress Donna Theresa arrived at Eio on the 3d of Sep- 
tember, and was received not only with magnificent ceremonies, 
but also with sincere cordiality on the part of the Brazilians. 

It may be mentioned here that the eldest sister of D. Pedro II., 



230 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal, had previously taken, as her 
royal consort, Prince Fernando Augusto, of Saxe-Coburg Gotha ; 
and on the 28th of April, 1844, her Imperial Highness Donna 
Januaria was also married to a Neapolitan prince, — the Count 
of Aquilla, brother to the Empress of Brazil and the King of the 
Two Sicilies. Thus, in the course of a single }'ear, the Imperial 
family of Brazil contracted honorable and nattering alliances with 
the courts of Europe. 

In 1844, Brazil was rejoiced by the birth of the Imperial Prince 
Dom Affonso ; but his untimely death the following year brought 
mourning upon the nation. In 1846, the Princess Isabella (the 
present heir-presumptive) was born, and, in 1847, her sister, the 
Donna Leopoldina. In case of the death of these princesses, and 
the demise of the Emperor without other issue, the Constitution 
provides that the eldest child (Donna Januaria) shall be heir to 
the Imperial throne. But both Princesses have become mothers.* 

In 1850, the slave-trade (which had continued despite solemn trea- 
ties) was effectually put down. In 1870, the despotic Lopez of Paraguay 
was defeated by the Brazilians commanded by the Count d'Eu, con- 
sort of the imperial Princess ; and in 1871, slavery was limited b} 7 law. 

The year 1850 witnessed the first steamship-line to Europe ; 
and now the Empire is united to the Old World by no less than nine 
lines ; while only one line links together the two Americas. 

For the last ten years the progress of Brazil has been onward. 
Her public credit abroad is of the highest character. Internal 
improvements have been projected and are being executed on a 
large scale ; tranquillity has prevailed, undisturbed by the slightest 
provincial revolt ; party spirit has lost its early virulence ; the 
attention of all is more than ever directed to the peaceful triumphs 
of agriculture and legitimate commerce ; public instruction is being 
more widely diffused ; and, though much is yet required to elevate 
the masses, still, if Brazil shall continue to carry out the principles 
of her noble Constitution, and if education and* morality shall 
abound in her borders, she will in due time take position in the 
first rank of nations. 

* In October, 1864, the Princess Imperial, Donna Isabella, was married to Prince Louis Philippe 
M. F. Gaston cTOrleans, Count d'Eu, eldest son of the Due de Nemours. They spent the greater 
portion of 1865 in Europe. In December. 1864, the seconl Princess, Donna Leopoldina, was married 
to Prince Auguste of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, whose mother was Clementine d'Orl(5ans, so that both 
the Princesses married grandsons of Louis Philippe. Da. Leopoldina died in 1871. 




<U) Ml I [ 






CHAPTEE XIII. 

THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL — HIS REMARKABLE TALENTS AND ACQUIREMENTS — NEW 
YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY — THE FIRST SIGHT OF D. PEDRO II. — AN EMPEROR 

ON BOARD AN AMERICAN STEAMSHIP CAPTAIN FOSTER AND THE "CITY OF 

PITTSBURG" HOW D. PEDRO II. WAS RECEIVED BY THE "SOVEREIGNS" AN 

EXHIBITION OF AMERICAN ARTS AND MANUFACTURES DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME 

VISIT OF THE EMPEROR HIS KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN AUTHORS SUCCESS 

AMONG THE PEOPLE VISIT TO THE PALACE OF S. CHRISTOVAO — LONGFELLOW, 

HAWTHORNE, AND WEBSTER. 

We naturally turn with interest and a laudable curiosity to look 
at the character and abilities of the monarch who has been called 
by Providence to the head of a growing nation. The Emperor of 
Brazil, by the various limits of the Constitution, has not the scope 
for kingcraft that is the heritage of Alexander II. or the achieve- 
ment of Napoleon III. The life of some crowned heads is only an 
official one; very few of the Dei gratia rulers possess intrinsic 
merit : they are educated, refined, and may or may not be affable. 
In the eye of the legitimist their chief distinction is the blood which 
has coursed through the veins of generations of kings. He who is 
situated half-way between the legitimist and the red republican 
regards with a greater or less degree of veneration the repre- 
sentative of executive power which he beholds in the ruler, and is 
possibly excited to a certain admiration by the amiable and bene- 
volent character which he who sits upon the throne may possess. 
But it is very rare, in the history of nations, to find a monarch 
who combines all that the most scrupulous legitimist would exact, 
who is limited by all the checks that a constitutionalist would 
require, and yet has the greatest claim for the respect of his sub- 
jects and the admiration of the world, in his native talent and in 
his acquisitions in science and literature. These rare combinations 

meet in Dom Pedro II. In his veins courses the united blood of 

231 



232 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the Braganzas, the Bourbons, and the Hapsburgs. By marriage 
he is related to the Boyal and Imperial families of England, 
Prance, Bussia, Spain, and Naples. His father (Dom Pedro I.) 
was an energetic Braganza; his mother (Donna Leopoldina) a 
Hapsburg, and sister-in-law to Napoleon I. His relatives, it will 
be seen, are of every grade, — from the constitutional monarch to 
the most absolute ruler. 

His powers, modified by the Brazilian Constitution, have already 
been considered; and it remains to point out his chief and com- 
manding title to the regard of his nation and the world. 

He has devoted much time to the science of chemistry, and his 
laboratory at San Christovao is always the scene of new experi- 
ments. Lieutenant Strain, the noble hero of the Darien Expedi- 
tion, — whose science is as well known as his kindness and bravery, 
— informed me that, on a visit to Bio de Janeiro more than ten 
years ago, he found the Emperor a thorough devotee to the studies 
of natural phenomena. Dr. Beinhardt — who has spent many years 
in Brazil as a naturalist — visited the capital of the Empire when 
D. Pedro II. was not yet out of his teens : the latter heard that an 
American savant was about to enter upon a scientific exploration 
of the Empire, and sent for him to aid him in performing certain 
new chemical experiments, accounts of which had been perused by 
his Majesty in the European journals of science. Dr. Beinhardt 
further added, that the young monarch, in his enthusiasm, paid no 
attention to the time that flew by as they, in a tropic clime and a 
close room, were cooped up for hours over fumigating chemicals. 

It is well known at Bio de Janeiro that he is a good topo- 
graphical engineer, and his theoretical knowledge of perspective is 
sometimes put in practice; for the German Prince Adalbert, in 
the published account of his visit to Brazil, states that the Emperor 
presented him with a very creditable painting from the Imperial 
palette. He has a great penchant for philological studies. I have 
heard him speak three different languages, and know, by report, 
that he converses in three more; and, so far as translating is con- 
cerned, he is acquainted with every principal European tongue. 
His library abounds in the best histories, biographies, and encyclo- 
pedias. Some one has remarked that a stranger can scarcely start 
a subject in regard to his own country that would be foreign to 



The Accomplishments of D. Pedro II. 233 

Dom Pedro II. There is not a session of the Brazilian Historical 
Society from which he is absent ; and he is familiar with the modern 
literature of England, Germany, Southern Europe, and the United 
States, to a degree of minuteness absolutely surprising. As a linguist 
he is very remarkable. I have heard him read the Hebrew, without 
the points, as fluently as if he had been a Jew. As to the Greek 
works which he has read in the original, I was simply amazed when 
he told me the number of them. His favorite American poets are 
Longfellow and Whittier. In 1864, I had the pleasure of taking to 
these gentlemen translations in Portuguese, made by his Majesty, of 
two favorite poems by these American writers. 

His large librae is stocked with choice books, especially with en- 
C} T clop8edias. In literature and science he is not, however, confined to 
large tomes, but a portion of each morning is allotted to the perusal 
of Brazilian papers and foreign periodicals and journals. That which 
emanates from his own pen is rarely seen ; but I have had the privi- 
lege of seeing many of his letters, which show him to be a most 
thoughtful and intellectual correspondent. The translations from 
"Whittier and Longfellow indicate his thorough comprehension of 
our language. Mr. Longfellow told me that " The Story of King 
Robert of Sicily " had been translated into Portuguese by three poets ; 
but that b} T the Emperor was the best of all. 

In 1856, the Honorable Luther Bradish, the President of the New 
York Historical Society, at the June meeting of that association, pro- 
posed Dom Pedro II. as an honorary member of that learned body. 
The proposition was, I need hardly add, carried by acclamation. 
The same society, on a subsequent evening, was briefly addressed 
by the Rev. Dr. Osgood, whose remark in regard to the Emperor of 
Brazil is as true as it is forcible : — " Dom Pedro II., by his character, 
and by his taste, application, and acquisitions in literature and 
science, ascends from his mere fortuitous position as Emperor, and 
takes his place in the world as a man." 

The Brazilian ruler receives his talents in a direct line : Dom 
Pedro I. was a man of great energy and abimrr, and Donna Leo- 
poldina was not without some of that power which characterized 
Maria Theresa. The early studies of Dom Pedro II. were con- 
ducted by the Franklin of Brazil, — Jose Bonifacio de Andrada ; 
and we know not how much his tastes for science may have been 



234 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

influenced by that ardent admirer of the study of nature. His 
mind early became imbued with such pursuits, and, when growing 
up to manhood, as we have already seen, he omitted no oppor- 
tunity for making additions to his store of knowledge. 

The first time that I saw the Emperor he was in citizen's dress, 
accompanied by the Empress. They were in a coach-and-six, pre- 
ceded and followed by horse-guards. He likes a rapid movement, 
and, whether on horseback or in a carriage, his chamberlains and 
guards are kept at a pace contrary to the usual manifestations 
of activity among the Brazilians. Two of the dragoons precede 
the coach at full gallop, and, at the blast of their bugles, the street 
is cleared of every encumbrance in the shape of promenaders and 
vehicles. It has, however, occurred to me that the neck-muscles 
of their Majesties must be exceedingly fatigued after their frequent 
city and suburban rides, for the humblest subject who salutes them 
is reciprocated in his attention. Their usual afternoon-drive is 
through the Catete and Botafogo to the Botanical Garden. 

A combination of circumstances brought me afterward into a 
much closer relation with his Majesty than as a mere spectator 
of his fine form when he passed rapidly by. In 1852, during the 
temporary absence of Mr. Ferdinand Coxe, the Secretary of the 
United States Legation at Bio de Janeiro, I was chosen to fill his 
place, and finally, after his resignation, I was appointed Acting 
Secretary. In September, 1852, it became my duty to go to the 
Palace of San Christovao in company with Governor Kent, who, in 
the absence of the Minister-Plenipotentiary, held the post of Charge 
d' Affaires in addition to that of American Consul. The occasion 
that demanded this official visit of Governor Kent was, in accord- 
ance with court-etiquette, to thank his Majesty for having accepted 
the invitation of the American Captain Foster to visit the "City 
of Pittsburg." This large merchant-steamer was on its way to 
California via the Straits of Majellan, and, while stopping for coals 
in the harbor of Bio de Janeiro, the captain invited the Emperor 
and his court to an excursion on board the splendid specimen of 
American naval architecture under his command. The Emperor 
having signified his acceptance, all was made ready, and, at eleven 
o'clock, the guns of the forts and of the men-of-war told that the 
Imperial party were embarking in the state-barges for the steamer. 



The Emperor on an American Steamer. 235 

The day was most beautiful, and Captain Foster spared no pains in 
adorning his fine steamer in a manner worthy of his guests. Flags 
and streamers were suspended from every mast, the standards of 
the North American Eepublic and the South American Empire 
floated in unison, while a full orchestra from the flower-strewn 
deck sent forth the national anthems of Brazil and the Union. 
When the barges reached the " City of Pittsburg," Captain 
Foster, with the American Charge d' Affaires by his side, received 
the Emperor, and, when welcoming him on board, placed the 
steamer at his Majesty's order. 

Dom Pedro II. was accompanied by the Empress, and also by 
the Cabinet Ministers, the Imperial household, and the chief 
officers of the army and navy. All were in full court-dress, with 
the exception of their Majesties. 

The excursion was of unusual interest. The fine steamer of 
twenty-two hundred tons ploughed her way through the various 
anchorages until she reached the men-of-war; the cannon of the 
forts saluted her as she pfssed, and the vessels-of-war not only 
sent forth their booming salvos, but the yards were manned, and 
the sailors shouted their loud vivas to D. Pedro II. In the mean 
while, the Emperor examined the " City of Pittsburg" from the coal- 
bunkers to her engine ; and, as it fell to my duty to make many of 
the explanations, it afforded an opportunity for observing the man 
and forgetting the unbending features of the Emperor. He was 
not content with beholding the mere upper- works of the machinery, 
but descended into the hot and oily quarters of the lower part 
of the ship, where the most intricate portion of the engine was 
situated: a half-hour was afterward devoted to studying the 
engraved plan of the machinery, which was further explained by 
the chief engineer of the steamer, and by Mr. Grundy, an English 
engineer, who has long been connected with the Brazilian navy. 

When the investigation of the engine was concluded, the Emperor 
wished to visit the forward-deck. Now, Americans are the vainest 
people in the world, and we were all afraid that on this part of 
the vessel Dom Pedro would not only be shocked with the ap- 
pearance of some very rough specimens of humanity on their way 
to the gold-regions of the Pacific, but that the said specimens would 
not give His Majesty the reception which was due to his station as 



236 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the Executive head of the most powerful South American Govern- 
ment. The Emperor's attention, however, could not be diverted to 
a different point; and the captain, fearing and trembling, was led 
to the forward-deck. There, upon the railing, sat representatives 
of the New York "Mose," the Philadelphia "Killer," and the Balti- 
more " Plug-ugly." The captain's heart sank within him: he was 
proud of his ship, proud of his illustrious guest, but he had very 
little to bo proud of in some of his passengers, — especially the 
unkempt and unterrified, who were even more picturesque after 
their voyage than upon election-day. The Emperor now ap- 
proached the sovereigns, — ay, near enough to have them "betwixt 
the wind and his nobility." Then occurred a scone, rich beyond 
description, which could never have taken place with others than 
Americans for actors. One of the unshaven, whoso tobacco had, 
up to this time, occupied the greater portion of his mouth and 
thoughts, suddenly tumblod from tho taffrail, discharged his quid 
into the ocean, and, hat in hand, yelled forth, in a well-meaning 
but terrific voice, "Boys, three choars for the Emperor of the 
Brazils!" In a twinkle of an eye every California!! was upon his 
feet; and never, in thoir oft-fought battles for the "glorious Demo- 
cracy," did they send forth such round and hearty huzzas as they 
did that day to D. Pedro II. Tho suddenness, the earnestness, the 
good intention, and the enthusiasm of the whole procedure were 
most mirth-provoking. The captain's fears subsided : his pons asi- 
norum was crossed, and he took breath and laughed freely. The 
Emperor returned the impromptu salute with groat respect, and, 
for the occasion, with becoming gravity. 

The Empress and her suite were not less pleased with the com- 
modious saloons and richly-decorated cabins of tho steamer than 
her Imperial spouse had boon with all its mechanical appoint- 
ments. 

The "City of Pittsburg" was at the command of the Emperor; 
but on we steamed, notwithstanding a portion of the court became 
exceedingly sea-sick. His Majosty was too well pleased with his 
new floating-dominion to resign it so soon; and thus we passed ten 
miles beyond tho Sugar-Loaf before tho order was given to return. 
The panorama of coast-mountains never appeared to me more 
magnificent than on that bright September day. 



How the "Sovereigns" receive an Emperor. 237 

The captain had prepared a sumptuous collation, but there was 
an obstacle which seemed more difficult to surmount than the 
forward-deck. The Imperial pair were not even in the habit of 
dining with their suite, and, except on rare state-occasions, eminent 
Ministers-Plenipotentiary had never been invited to partake of a 
repast in the same room with their Majesties. There was no pre- 
cedent of a collation having been given on the deck of an American 
vessel, and, above all, on board of a mere commercial ship. No 
one liked the idea of consulting the Emperor about an affair ap- 
parently so trifling as to the manner in which he desired to eat, 
and therefore Captain Foster, who is as modest as he is hospitable, 
took the whole matter into his own hands and made a precedent. 
The "City of Pittsburg" was constructively a part of the United 
States, and the captain was determined to do the honors of his 
country as he would have done them on the banks of the Hudson. 
Their Majesties were accommodated with an entire table to them- 
selves, which, like six others in the ship, was separated from its 
fellows by the space of two feet. The American party occupied 
the adjoining table; the ministers and noblemen were seated at 
another in a different part of the saloon, while the chamberlains 
stood near the Emperor. Perhaps D. Pedro had no objection to 
the proximity of the Americans, considering that they were all 
* sovereigns/' Captain Foster, who spoke French, proposed, with 
a dignity becoming the occasion, the health of their Majesties; 
and all passed off as easily and as happily as if there had been 
a thousand and one ceremonies and precedents to have been 
supported and followed. 

We entered the harbor amid the booming of cannon, and at 
sunset the Imperial party again embarked in the state-barges, 
having spent what they afterward declared to have been one 
of the most agreeable days of their lives. Again and again have 
I heard their Majesties express their remembrance of that excur- 
sion; and none of Captain Foster's personal friends felt a deeper 
sympathy for him than did D. Pedro II. and Donna Theresa when 
they learned, through the public journals, the sad fate of the "City 
of Pittsburg" in the harbor of Yalparaiso. 

In 1854, I returned for a few months to the United States. 
Having often had occasion while in Brazil to remark the igno- 



238 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ranee which prevailed in regard to my own country, and the re- 
ciprocal ignorance of the people of the United States in regard to 
Brazil, I desired to do all that was in the power of a single indi- 
vidual to remove erroneous impressions and to bring about a better 
understanding between the two countries. There were higher 
objects in view than the mere diffusion of knowledge and the pro- 
motion of commerce ; and, now that years have elapsed since this 
little effort was undertaken, I have the satisfaction of knowing that 
new avenues of reciprocit}^ have been opened, and that it only needs 
individuals and the Government to show energy and manifest encour- 
agement to increase our trade with Brazil. 

I shall here introduce, even at the hazard of some repetition, the 
greater part of a letter addressed to the ' ' New York Journal of 
Commerce " and the " Philadelphia Ledger," which gives an account 
of the effort to which I have referred. It may seem as if the infor- 
mation contained was old ; but as the proportion of our exports to 
Brazil has even grown less than in 1855, I believe that the facts 
given will prove of interest to our commercial men. In 1855, we 
exported to Brazil $5,094,904, and we imported from her $19,262,657. 
In 1878, we exported $8,610,646, and we imported $42,972,036. 

"Rio de Janeiro, May 23, 1855. 

" Messrs. Editors : — [After a few preliminary remarks, I wrote 
as follows :] The motives which prompted me to undertake this 
affair were simply the good of the United States and Brazil, When 
laboring for several years as a missionary-chaplain at Rio de 
Janeiro, I found great ignorance in regard to our country, its pro- 
gress, and its producing-resources. I also discovered a reciprocal 
ignorance in the United "States concerning Brazil. In the latter 
country we were known as a bold, hardy race, which consumed 
two-thirds of the Brazilian coffee-crop, for which we sent, in return, 
flour and a few articles of no great note. In the United States, 
Brazil was often classed among the Spanish countries of America : 
few people were aware that the Portuguese language was spoken, 
and that here was the only monarchy in America, and the only 
other constitutional Government on the' Western continent which 
has marched forward in tranquillity and material prosperity. I here 
found English, German, and French goods and publications, with 
some few exceptions, the mode, — and this, too, when many of the 



Exposition of American Manufactures at Rio. 239 

same articles were to be bought cheaper in the United States; and 
I also ascertained that our ships often came in ballast for coffee, 
paying for it cash at most exorbitant rates of exchange, when 
European vessels brought cargoes at a profit in payment for the 
chief staples of Brazil. 

"In Brazil I found a very great want of school-books. In Chili 
and New Grenada I saw Spanish books published by Messrs. Ap- 
pleton, and I desired to see the same for the youth of Brazil, where 
very great attention is awakening to the subject of education. I 
observed here scientific societies which rank, in dignity and devo- 
tion to belles-lettres, with the New York Historical Society, and like 
associations of our own land. 

"It was my ardent wish, first, to see this seven millions of 
tolerant people possessing sound morality and true religipn. It 
was my next desire to see men of science and learning in Brazil 
linked with the kindred spirits of our vigorous land; to behold 
good school-books in the hands of Brazilian children; and to see 
oar manufactures taking their stand in this country, which is so 
great a consumer. 

"In 1854, on account of the ill health of a member of my family, 
I was compelled to leave suddenly my field of labor for the United 
States. There, after several months, it became evident that I 
should have to abandon the land of my adoption. It was, how- 
ever, necessary for me to return to Brazil, in order to settle up my 
affairs. It was then that, through the public journals, I offered 
my services to* convey to Eio de Janeiro, free of charge to the 
donors, any articles that might be sent to my address. These 
objects I solicited for the Emperor, for scientific and literary asso- 
ciations, and for exposition to the public. I was a clergyman, and 
I thought that no one could accuse me of speculation. For two 
months was I, more or less, engaged at my own expense in making 
solicitations in person, as well as by the press and by letters. I 
regret to say that many persons who should have been interested 
in such an enterprise did not choose to respond to the solicitations 
of an unknown name, and thus the Exposition was not so rich 
in some departments as it otherwise would have been, although. 
I with pleasure record that there were some influential men who 
ient the weight of their names to the project. 



240 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

" At length a number of artists, publishers, merchants, and manu- 
facturers were induced to send specimens of books, engravings, 
sculpture, and manufactures ; but these were few in comparison to 
those who might have contributed to their own future benefit. 

"Messrs. Corner & Sons, of Baltimore, generously placed their 
bark at my disposal for a free passage. In the month of March, 
the good bark ' Huntingdon' left Baltimore with my packages on 
board. Bobert C. Wright, Esq., of that city, and his first clerk, 
Mr. W. B. Jackson, did every thing in their power to facilitate the 
enterprise, and to them more than to others I am indebted for 
the successful consummation of my desired object. In April we 
arrived at Bio de Janeiro, and for three weeks I had such vexation 
and delay that I almost despaired of a prosperous termination. 
Through the kindness of the Baron of Penedo, then Brazilian 
Minister at Washington, and by a letter from Hon. William 
Trousdale, the American Minister, my boxes and packages were 
admitted free of duty. The custom-house regulations of this 
country are exceedingly strict, and I had to give an account of 
every thing that I had brought for the statistical purpose of the 
Minister of Finance. As I had no list of the articles nor of their 
values, as many of the boxes contained one hundred different 
tightly-made packages, and as there were many objects of a fragile 
nature, and as every thing had to be opened by officers who might 
not be the most careful, I suffered mentally and physically both 
before and after the examination. It was no easy matter to undo 
so many parcels, and it was hard to restore again %ome fine speci- 
mens after a clumsy underling had put a nail through them. 

"The chief collector of the custom-house believed, from the day 
that I arrived until the day of the examination, that I was medi- 
tating some plot against the finances of the country, and openly 
told some of the merchants that I intended to sell these things. 
[That gentleman afterward became a very warm and an attentive 
friend.] But when I had patiently assisted in opening for examina- 
tion box after box, and we came to one containing the splendid 
photographs of Fredricks of New York, the chief examiner said to 
one of the others, 'Go call the second collector.' He came, and, 
after expressing his astonishment at such perfection in photography, 
he sent for the collector-in-chief. This latter gentleman left his 



Obstacles Overcome. 



241 



platform in the large public hall of the custom-house, and found his 
way to the store-room. His admiration knew no bounds when he 
saw the large life-sized photograph of Webster, — the last likeness 
of the great statesman. From this time onward, his suspicions in 
regard to my project ceased. He looked with great pleasure into 
Colton's fine maps, and delighted in a critical examination of the 
exquisite bank-note engraving of Danforth & Wright and that of 
Toppan & Carpenter, who had contributed some most beautiful 
specimens of this mingling of the beautiful with the useful in art. 
The examination and noting down the contents of the boxes went 
on very swiftly from the time of this visit of the chief collector. 





m :' 



r M 



4i &^ilrljlhii,j 
1 



Jjlllll 




THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



" One week after the custom-house was cleared, I received an order 
from the Minister of the Empire, granting me a large hall in the 
National Museum, for the purposes of an Exposition. The same 
day I went to the palace, and communicated to the Emperor that 
I should be ready to receive him at eleven a.m. next day, (May 16,) 

1G 



242 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

at the Museum. His Majesty received me, it seemed to me, with 
more amiability than his usual serious countenance indicated, and 
I soon discovered, from a remark which he made, that I was in- 
debted to His Excellency Senhor Carvalho de Moreiro for a full 
explanation to His Majesty of my project, which was on my part 
far more philanthropic than commercial. 

"That night sleep did not visit me, so busily was I engaged in 
',he arrangement of the whole affair. The next day, at five minutes 
before eleven, (His Majesty is noted for his punctuality,) I heard 
the well-known bugle-blast of the Imperial horse-guards; and, before 
my assistants had time to withdraw, the coaches containing Dom 
Pedro II. and the chamberlains drew up at the Museum. 

"By the aid of some kind friends, I had so disposed the six hun- 
dred different objects that the exhibition was not wanting in an 
imposing appearance. The American and Brazilian flags fell in 
graceful folds over the portrait of Washington and the likenesses 
of the Emperor and his father. The maps of Colton and others, 
and engravings from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, covered 
the walls. Books and small manufactured articles occupied tables; 
beautifully-designed wall-papers and sample-books of mousseline de 
laines were suspended; and large agricultural implements were 
arranged on platforms provided for the occasion. 

"His Majesty commenced at one end, and with great earnestness 
and interest examined every thing in detail. He made many in- 
quiries, and manifested a most intimate knowledge with the pro- 
gress of our country. He was filled with admiration at the 
specimens of books, steel engravings, chromo-lithography, (of 
Philadelphia,) and agricultural implements. Every now and then 
you might have heard him calling to some of his noblemen or 
chamberlains to come and admire with him this or that work of 
the useful or beautiful arts. He was not, however, indiscriminate 
in his praise, but was perfectly frank in his criticism. 

"Being himself a thorough student of physical science, and a 
good engineer, he examined with minuteness the splendid edition 
of the United States Coast Survey, from the bureau of the United 
States Coast Survey, Washington; and he appreciated at their 
just value the various scientific works that occupied a conspi- 
cuous table. 



Admiration for Mr. Longfellow. 243 

"For half an hour he pored over Youman's Atlas of Chemistry, 
and praised its thorough excellence and simplicity. While exa- 
mining a work on physiology, I heard him remarking upon the 
superiority of the Craniology by the late Dr. Morton ; and he in- 
formed me that he possessed the writings of that eminent student 
of the human frame. He was also well read in the immense tomes 
of the pains-taking, erudite, and conscientious Schoolcraft, whose 
works on the aborigines of North America were sent out by the 
Chief of the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Washington. 

"His Majesty was deeply interested in the various maps, geo- 
graphies, and school-books sent out by Colton, Appletons, Wood- 
ford & Erace, T. Cowperthwait, and Barnes. The finely-illustrated 
publications of the various benevolent societies of our land were 
sent out for the Imperial family, and attracted deserved attention. 
The Emperor was much pleased with the only specimens of wood- 
engraving, which were forwarded by Mr. Yan Ingen, of the firm of 
Van Ingen & Snyder, whose skill has illustrated this work. 

"The earnest examination which he gave the machinery, manu- 
factures, and agricultural implements justified the reputation 
which Dom Pedro II. enjoys in this respect. Howell's wall-papers, 
after drawings by the students of the Philadelphia Academy of 
Design, and the beautiful silk manufactures of Horstman, and 
Evans, — which ought to be classed among works of art, — called 
forth much praise. 

"He next approached the table where were the books presented 
by the Appletons and Parry & McMillan. Taking up the 'Eepub- 
lican Court,' he said, 'I am astonished at such perfection in bind- 
ing.' I replied, ' And none of those volumes were bound expressly 
for your Majesty." The binding of Appletons' books was superb. 
He opened the ' Homes of the American Authors,' and surprised 
me by his knowledge of our literature. He made remarks on Ir- 
ving, Cooper, and Prescott, — showing an intimate acquaintance 
with each. His eye falling on the name of Longfellow, he asked 
me, with great haste and eagerness, 'Avez-vouz les poemes de 
Monsieur Longfellow ?' It was the first time that I ever saw Dom 
Pedro II. manifest an enthusiasm which, in its earnestness and 
simplicity, resembled the warmth of childhood when about to 
possess itself of some long-cherished object. I replied, i I believe 



244 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

not, your Majesty.' 'Oh/ said he, 'I am exceedingly sorry, for 
I have sought in every bookstore of Eio de Janeiro for Longfellow, 
and I cannot find him. I have a number of beautiful morceaux, 
but I wish the whole work; I admire him so very much/ That 
evening I found, among the books sent by Parry & McMillan, the 
' Poets and Poetry of America.' In this volume is a biographical 
sketch of Longfellow, as well as some of the choicest selections 
from his pen. This, with T. Buchanan Kead's 'New Pastoral/ 
were afterward commented on and received with the most visible 
pleasure by His Majesty. 

"I was absent from the part of the hall where Dom Pedro IL 
was looking at the engravings of the American Bank-NoteCompany ,) 
and when I returned I found him engaged in a discussion with his 
first chamberlain as to John Quincy Adams, — the chamberlain (as 
the majority of even well-educated foreigners) supposing that John 
Quincy Adams was the elder Adams. The Emperor insisted 'that 
John Quincy Adams was not the early advocate of liberty and 
the 'comrade/ as he termed him, of Washington, — but that he 
was the son of John Adams, and, like his father, was a President 
of the United States. And soon after he gave a very thorough 
re-examination of the 'Kepublican Court/ and pointed out to the 
chamberlain the distinguished mother of John Quincy Adams. 
He was very anxious to see a portrait of Jefferson. One of my 
assistants found a very neatly-engraved portrait of the sage of 
Monticello from the burin of Toppan & Carpenter. When he 
received it, you should have heard him, without pedantry or 
affectation, expatiate with great minuteness, correctness, and 
judgment on the character of Jefferson as compared with that 
of Washington. 

"Approaching some very fine lithographs published by Williams 
& Stephens, of New York, I introduced His Majesty to 'Young 
America/ that handsome but independent-looking lad, and to 
'Uncle Sam's Youngest Son, Citizen Know-Nothing.' I thought 
that I had now a subject of which His Majesty really knew no- 
thing; but I found that I was mistaken, as he recounted to some one 
the pranks that this young fellow had been playing, and added that 
he was a citizen of some power and knowledge, judging from the 
recent (1855) elections in the United States. 



Success of the Exposition. 245 

" Thus the whole day was occupied in the examination and ex- 
planation of the American collection. 

"A few days after the Exposition was closed, I had the many 
things destined for the Imperial family taken to the large palacete 
of the Marquis d'Abrantes, situated in one of the most charming 
environs of Kio, — viz. : the shore of the Neapolitan-shaped Bay of 
Botafogo. His Majesty was spending some weeks here for the 
benefit of sea-bathing. I passed the guards at the gate, and as I 
ascended the steps the Emperor saw me, and, meeting me at the 
door, thanked me heartily for what I had done. I desired him to 
allow me to remain a few moments until the boxes arrived, as I 
must give him some explanations as to the secret lock of the most 
excellent trunk sent him by Peddie & Morrison, of Newark, 1ST. J. 
With his permission I went into the beautiful garden, where were 
the richest and rarest of flowers in a land of perpetual bloom. 
The air was truly loaded with sweet fragrance. There were foun- 
tains and statuary, many brilliant-plumaged birds, and, indeed, 
every thing in nature and in art to please and to gratify those alive 
to the beautiful. When looking upon a scene so enchanting I 
could only desire that this land, for which God has done so much 
in a natural point of view, might possess the solid mental and 
moral advantages which belong to our more rugged North through 
the instrumentality of education and religion. 

"The blacks soon arrived with the heavy boxes and the nicely- 
finished plough, (sent by B. Myers, of Newark, N.J.,) all of which, 
by the order of the chamberlain, were placed in the ante-room, 
where His Majesty again examined and admired them. The first 
thing that he inquired for was 'My Longfellow,' (in the ' Poets 
and Poetry of America/) the next, 'Youman's Atlas of Chemis- 
try :' he then asked for the beautiful specimens of chromo-litho- 
graphy, (by Sinclair, and Duval, of Philadelphia,) and finally in- 
quired after the steam fire-engine which made its travels from 
Cincinnati to Boston last spring. I furnished him with a plan 
of it which had been given me by a clerk in the Baltimore Sun 
office. He instantly took it, and began to explain its operations to 
a French savant who was visiting the palace. For one hour he 
was engaged in a review of the products of our country. Ho 
called the Empress, who also expressed her gratification in the 



246 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

highest terms as I displayed the beautiful books sent for herself 
and the princesses. Her Majesty was not only pleased with what 
had drawn forth the praises of her Imperial spouse, but she, as 
well as her maids of honor, displayed the woman in the delight 
manifested at the fancy soaps and other articles of toilette sent 
out by H. P. & W. C. Taylor, of Philadelphia, and Colgate & Co., 
of New York. Many thanks were given to me for those who had 
been so kind in remembering the Imperial family of Brazil, and 
I left the palace, feeling that, so far as the head of the Brazilian 
Government was concerned, all was most successful. 

" With His Majesty's subjects the enterprise was not less fortu- 
nate. On the 17th and 18th the Museum was visited by some 
thousands, and astonishment and admiration were constantly upon 
the lips of the Brazilians. Each evening I was completely worn 
out by answering the many questions that were propounded from 
every side. I have no doubt that a proper exhibition of American 
arts and manufactures, arranged by business-men and those who 
have means to carry it out, would redound a thousandfold to the 
benefit of American commerce. For, during my walks among 
those who were examining the various articles, I heard remarks 
which convinced me that it only required to have our country's 
productions known to cause a large importation. During and 
since the Exposition, I have had many orders for books, en- 
gravings, wall-papers, and Manchester prints; and this morning 
came applications for a sugar-cane crushing machine, and a large 
lithographic printing-press. My reply in all cases has been, i I am 
not a commercial man ; I am not here for that purpose ; I have 
no pecuniary interest whatever in this matter: but there are 
houses here which have correspondents in America.' 

" Upon the evening of the 16th, the Statistical Society of Brazil 
held its meeting in the same hall where were the products of the 
United States. The Viscount Itaborahy presided, and invited me 
to address the Society. I was very glad to have the opportunity 
of explaining my plans to such a body of gentlemen, and found 
them most sympathetic: they freely expressed their desire to see 
the United States and Brazil more closely united. These remarks 
were reported for the press, and my motives were thus more 
widely made known to the people. 



A Pleasing Incident. 247 

" The contributions from Washington, from the Bureau of the 
Coast Survey, and from the Patent-Office, and the splendid work 
on the North American Indians, to which Schoolcraft has devoted 
his life, were looked upon by the Historical and other Societies as 
a very great acquisition to their libraries. In this connection I 
must not omit to mention some important medical works sent out 
by Lippincott, Grambo & Co., which were presented to the Imperial 
Academy of Medicine. From these associations I received letters 
of thanks, showing that the contributions of the various donors 
are justly appreciated. The Brazilian Historical and Geographical 
Society published in the daily press the list of historical and other 
works and library-catalogues that had been thus added to their 
own increasing literary stores. 

"I have already occupied too much of your space, and I must 
still beg leave to add a few remarks. 

"I do not claim the ' Exposition' to have been a perfect collection 
of what the United States can produce. It was far from it; but, 
from the interest it has created in this city of three hundred 
thousand inhabitants, from the independent approbatory remarks 
of the daily press, and from the desires which come from all quar- 
ters that the exhibition should continue, I think that a favorable 
impression has been made, and I also believe that, from this little 
affair, we may legitimately argue that there is a most favorable 
opening here for the various manufactures, &c. of our country. It 
would require patience and capital, and perhaps the hazarding of 
something at first; but I believe that the end would more than 
recompense the adventurers. One or two Americans, a few years 
ago, commenced the importation of American agricultural imple- 
ments, &c, and now there is quite a commerce in this line. If im- 
portation should be extended, and this people could know what we 
produce, our commerce would be most rapidly increased. Specu- 
lators are not wanted, but moral, sound, enterprising business-men, 
who will furnish the best articles at the lowest price. 

"In conclusion, without wishing to excite expectations which 
will not be realized, or without desiring to overestimate any thing 
which has been done in this Exposition, I can only say that, how- 
ever far short I may have come in my efforts, my intentions have 
been good, and, when I shall leave Brazil to return to the work of 



248 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

my Master in my own land, I shall have at least the consolation of 
having endeavored to bring about a closer relation between the 
strongest Government of South America and the great Bepublic 
of the North. 

"I remain, gentlemen, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

" J. C. Fletcher." 

A pleasing incident connected with this affair grew out of the 
late arrival at Bio of one of the presents destined for the Emperor. 
After the "Exposition," I departed from the city and became en- 
gaged in my legitimate labors in another part of the Empire. In 
the month of July I returned from the Southern provinces, and 
found that the Messrs. Merriam, of Springfield, Massachusetts, had 
sent out a superb edition of Webster's unabridged quarto Dictionary. 
I had also a few more books which were to be placed in the Em- 
peror's own library. An account of the presentation of these 
volumes was given in a private letter to Mr. J. P. Blanchard, of 
Boston, from which I extract the following : — 

"The gift of Messrs. Merriam arrived during my absence in the 
Southern provinces; but so soon as I returned I procured it from the 
custom-house, and in due time conveyed it to the palace. Of course 
it was too late for the Exposition in the National Museum ; but, 
as your State had been very poorly represented in May, I was glad 
to have this specimen of Massachusetts publication, and this monu- 
ment of the patient and faithful labors of a man who has done 
so much to define and classify our mother-tongue. 

"It was within two days of my departure for Bahia and Per- 
nambuco that I stole a few hours to go out to the Imperial Quinta 
of Boa Yista, — the Palace of S. Christovao. It is usual to go thither 
in a coach drawn by at least two horses; but, finding a nice new 
tilbury and a bright mulatto driver, I entered his vehicle, and, with 
'Webster's Dictionary/ Hawthorne's ' Mosses from an Old Manse/ 
and Longfellow's 'Hyperion/ I was soon whirling, through the 
garden-lined streets of Engenho Yelho, to the palace. The Palace 
of S. Christovao is situated in one of the most picturesque environs 
of Eio de Janeiro. It stands in bold relief against the lofty green 
mountains of Tijuca, and is surrounded by the beautifully-foliaged 



Webster, Hawthorne, and Longfellow. 249 

trees of the tropics. It has every adjunct that can make it a 
delightful residence. As we rolled through the long avenue of 
mango-trees, I saw the coach of one of the Ministers bowling along 
with the servants in livery. My establishment looked small in 
comparison with this brilliant equipage; but I felt that the three 
books which I bore with me would delight His Majesty mere than 
all the carriages of the court. 

" I descended after the Minister had entered, and was conducted 
to an ante-room by a chamberlain, to whom I made known the 
purport of my visit and the nature of my volumes. Not wishing 
to trust my precious load to any servant, I carried the three tomes 
(no light burden) before me. After passing many corridors, I came 
to a large, wide gallery, which overlooked a courtyard where 
bright fountains were playing and the choicest and most fragrant 
flowers were blooming. 

"I had supposed that it was a day for private audience; but the 
long gallery was filled with gentlemen in waiting, — noblemen, 
Judges of the Supreme Court, Ministers, Charges, and officers en 
grande tenue, and some of them covered with decorations. I then 
learned from Senhor Leal, and from the Neapolitan Charge d' Affaires, 
that the 13th of July was the anniversary of the Imperial Princess 
Leopoldina, and these gentlemen had come to felicitate their Ma- 
jesties on the return of this anniversary. I took my stand at the 
extreme end of the waiting train, thinking that I had better have 
chosen a day when His Majesty was less occupied. Presently Dom 
Pedro II. appeared, his fine manly form towering above every 
other. He was dressed in black ; and, with the exception of a 
star which sparkled upon his left breast, his costume was simple, 
and its good taste was most apparent when contrasted with the 
brilliant uniforms of the court. 

"I conjectured that His Majesty would first receive the con- 
gratulations of the glittering throng that stood between him and 
the plainly-dressed clergyman. Judge, then, of my surprise when, 
merely bowing, he passed by the many titled gentlemen and repre- 
sentatives of foreign courts, and came directly to the 'Webster/ 
'Hawthorne/ and 'Longfellow.' With a pleasant smile, he addressed 
me, and led me to an open arch that overlooked the flowers and the 
limpid fountain. There he examined the books and bestowed high 



250 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

eulogium upon the Dictionary, — not only for the beautiful style in 
which it had been prepared by the publishers, but for the almost 
encyclopedic character of the work. He spoke of Mr. Hawthorne 
as an author of whom he had heard, and was glad to possess the 
1 Mosses from an Old Manse.' I called his attention particularly 
to the ' Celestial Eailroad/ which caused an allusion to Bunyan's 
'guide and road-book to the Celestial City.' Since the month 
of May he had procured all the poetical works of Mi*. Longfellow 
but had not yet added to his library any of his (Mr. Longfellow's; 
prose compositions. He therefore considered ' Hyperion' a most 
interesting acquisition. 

"His Majesty conversed for a long time on the objects for which 
I came to Brazil, and expressed his gratitude for the souvenirs 
which he had received from citizens of the United States. I 
stated to him that I would visit the Northern provinces and then 
return to my native land. He expressed the customary wishes of 
a bon voyage, &c, but, with great earnestness, said to me, in con- 
clusion, 'Mr. Fletcher, when you return to your country, have the 
kindness to say to Mr. Longfellow how much pleasure he has given 
me, and be pleased to tell him combien je Vestime, combien je Vaime! 
— how much I esteem him, how much I love him.' " 

Thus ended, so far as my own personal effort is concerned, that 
which I undertook to do. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

BRAZILIAN LITERATURE — THE JOURNALS OF RIO DE JANEIRO — ADVERTISEMENTS— 
THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS — EFFORT TO PUT DOWN BIBLE-DISTRIBUTION — ITS 

FAILURE NATIONAL LIBRARY — MUSEUM IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OF FINE ARTS — 

SOCIETIES BRAZILIAN HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL INSTITUTE — ADMINISTRA- 
TION OF BRAZILIAN LAW CURIOUS TRIAL. 

The Brazilians, having a ruler with such literary and scientific 
tastes, will assuredly make more progress in this direction than 
formerly. 

On account of the restrictive policy of Portugal, no printing- 
press was introduced into this country until 1808. The general 
taste for reading is mostly confined to the newspapers and the trans- 
lations of French novels. Authors are by no means numerous in 
the Empire ; but there have been within the last few years a number 
of very creditable provincial histories, scientific disquisitions, one or 
two attempts at the general history of Brazil, and several good 
volumes of original poetry. The bookstores abound with French 
works on science, history, and (too often) infidel philosophy. 

There is, however, a Government bookmaking which is prolific 

in the most interesting details. I refer to the annual Relatorios or 

Eeports of the Ministers of the Empire, Finance, Justice, Foreign 

Affairs, War, and the Navy. These are well written and well 

printed, and contain the most valuable matter for the statesman, 

the statistician, or the general reader. The Eelatorio of the 

Minister of Justice must demand an amount of labor unknown to 

officials in the United States or in England; for every case that goes 

before a jury in each of the twenty provinces must come under his 

revision and must be placed in its proper table. The crime, age, 

sex, and nationality of the criminal are given, together with the 

punishment. In addition to this, matters of prison-discipline and 

the varied interests of ecclesiastical aifairs are not forgotten. 

251 



252 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The periodical literature of Rio has, within a few years, been 
improved in character b} T the establishment of a Medical Review 
and also of a Brazilian and Foreign Quarterly. The last-mentioned 
periodical has been conducted with great spirit and literary enter- 
prise, and promises to be of utility to the country ; yet even in this 
there is a too frequent resort to translations. If Brazilians would 
only take the time to write, and make the effort to think for them- 
selves, foreigners would soon find their productions to be interesting 
and valuable, and would prize them accordingly. 

The press being free, I doubt whether any journals in the United 
States, England, or the Continent, contain so many communica- 
tions from subscribers as those of Rio de Janeiro. As all of these 
communicagoes must be accompanied with the cash, journalism in 
Brazil is a lucrative "institution." Some of the editorials of the 
Jornal do Commercio, the Cruzeiro, and the Diario will compare 
favorably with those of New York or London. 

The appearance of the newspapers of Rio is like that of the 
Parisian journals, only the Brazilian dailies are larger, in clearer 
type, and upon superior paper. The bottom of each sheet con- 
tains the light reading, in what is called the folhetim ; and each 
Sunday the various journals have several columns of pacotilha 
(gossip). The Jornal do Commercio, the Cruzeiro, the Diario do JRio, 
the Gazetta, and the Diario Official are better printed than French 
dailies. 

The newspaper-press in Rio is quite prolific. It issues several 
dailies, and tri- weeklies, and a varying number of from six to 
ten weeklies and irregular sheets, some of which are illustrated. 
During the session of the National Assembly, verbatim reports of 
the proceedings and debates of that bod} T are published at length — 
like those of the English Parliament and the American Congress — 
on the morning after their occurrence. 

Perhaps the most ably edited Brazilian periodicals, judging from 
the American and English stand-point, are the Novo Mundo and the 
Revista Industrial. The editor, Sr. J. C. Rodrigues, is a graduate 
of the Law School at Sao Paulo. He came to the United States in 
1867, and has here seriously studied the advantages and disadvan- 
tages of his native land. He is thoroughly patriotic, but impartial. 
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend," is his motto. Printed and 



The Journals of Rio de Janeiro. 253 

illustrated in New York, the Novo Mundo and the Revista Industrial 
are the finest typographical specimens of journalism in the Portu- 
guese language. 

The Jornal do Commercio, already referred to, has the largest cir- 
culation, and is under the direction of Sr. Castro, who translated into 
Portuguese Southey's "History of Brazil." The Jornal do Com- 
mercio is a very large sheet. It has the honor of having the greatest 
number of advertisements of any journal in the world, except ttu 
London Times and the New York Herald. It has the best foreign 
correspondence of any Brazilian newspaper. The Cruzeiro has as 
one of its editorial corps Sr. Bocayuva, who wields a powerful pen. 
The Anglo-Brazilian Times is a semi-monthly English sheet, edited 
by Mr. Scully, with more sprightliness than the Brazilian papers, 
and is a valuable addition to the journals of Rio. 

The most enterprising typographia is that of the Brothers Laem- 
mert, in the Rua dos Invalidos. Perhaps the most beautiful printing in 
Rio de Janeiro is done hj Leuzinger & Sons. The matter of the adver- 
tising columns of the various newspapers is renewed almost daily, and 
is perused by great numbers of general readers for the sake of its piq- 
uancj 7 and its variet}\ Several peculiar customs may be noticed, growing 
out of the Church and Brotherhood advertisements, and of the numer- 
ous lotteries, the curse of Brazil. Persons frequently form companies for 
the purchase of tickets, and those at a distance order their correspond- 
ents to purchase for them. In order to avoid any subsequent transfer 
or dispute, the purchaser announces, through the newspaper, the 
number of the ticket bought and for whose account, — as, for 
example : — " M. F. S. purchased, by order of J. T. Pinto, two half- 
tickets, Nos. 1513 and 4817, of the lottery in behalf of the theatre 
of Itaborahy." " The treasurer of the company entitled ( The 
Friends of Good Luck' has purchased, on the company's account, 
half-tickets Nos. 3885 and 5430, of the lottery of the cathedral 
of Goyaz." Following this custom, individuals who wish to publish 
some pert thing usually announce it as the name of a company 
for the purchase of lottery-tickets, although that name extends 
sometimes through a dozen lines of rhyme. 

The Brazilians have a most effectual way of collecting debts, which 
ought to be made known for the benefit of creditors in other portions 
of the world. The recipe is found in the following advertisement : — 



254 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

"Senhor Jose Domingos da Costa is requested to pay, at No. 35 
Eua de S. Jose, the sum of six hundred milreis ; and in case he shall 
not do so in three days, his conduct will be exposed in this journal, 
together with the manner in which this debt was contracted. " 
Another will show that the clergy are not always spared : — 
" Mr. Editor: — Since the vicar of a certain parish, on the 8th 
instant, having said mass with all his accustomed affectation, 
turned round to the people and said, with an air of mockery, 
'As we have no festival to-day, let us say over the Litany/ &c, 
I would respond, that the reverend vicar knows well the reason 
why there was no festival. Let him be assured, however, that 
when intrigue shall disappear the festival will take place; but, if 
he is in a hurry, let him undertake it at his own expense, since 
whosoever says the paternoster gets the benefit.* 

" (Signed) An Enemy to Hypocrites." 

A school-teacher, after announcing his terms for tuition, thus 
continues and concludes, — the italics being his own : — 

"The first-class day-scholars are instructed in the different 
branches of science and literature, including the English, French, 
Portuguese, and Latin languages. Second-class pupils receive a 
plain education, consisting of reading, writing, grammar, arith- 
metic, and Christian doctrine. 

" The director, not being in the habit of making splendid advertise- 
ments or puffs in the daily papers, or of throwing dust in the eyes 
of the public, can only promise that, being the father of a large 
family and knowing what care and attention children require as 
to their morals and education, he will do his duty toward them 
accordingly." 

The last specimen which I give illustrates the early marriages 
which frequently take place in Brazil; but I defy any other 
country to furnish the like of the following advertisement, which 
appeared in the Jornal do Commercio of Eio de Janeiro in 1852. It 
is so unique that I furnish the original as well as the translation : — 

"Precisa-se de uma senhora branca de afian^ada conducta, e com 
intelligencia bastante para fazer companhia a uma menina casada 

* " Quern rese o Pater noster come o pao." 



Freedom of the Press. 255 

de menor idade, aqual precisa de algumas instrucgoes proprias de 
seu estado. Quern estiver nestas circumstancias annuneie por esta 
folha para ser procurada." 

"Wanted. — A white lady of faithful character and with sufficient 
intelligence to be the companion [or, literally, " to makft the com- 
pany''] of a young bride who is a minor, and who is in need of 
some instructions appropriate to her state. Whoever possesses 
these qualifications may make known her address in the columns 
of this journal." 

Various allusions to the entire freedom of the press have already 
been made j and it may be mentioned; in this connection, that there 
was an interesting example of its use for advertisements for pro- 
moting the Bible in Brazil, and also its employment to put down 
an effort for the diffusion of the Sacred Scriptures. My co-author, 
(Dr. Kidder,) in the early part of his religious labors in Brazil, com- 
menced by circulating the Bible. I prefer to give his experience 
in his own words. After speaking of the general influence of the 
mother-country upon Brazil, he says, — 

"Portugal has never published the Bible or countenanced its 
circulation save in connection with notes and comments that had 
been approved by inquisitorial censorship. The Bible was not 
enumerated among the books that might be admitted to her colo- 
nies when under the absolute dominion. Yet the Brazilians, on 
their political disenthralment, adopted a liberal and tolerant Con- 
stitution. Although it made the Eoman Catholic apostolic religion 
that of the State, yet it allowed all other forms of religion to be 
held and practised, save in buildings ' having the exterior form of 
a temple.' It also forbade persecution on the ground of religious 
opinions. By degrees, enlightened views of the great subjects of 
toleration and religious liberty became widely disseminated among 
the people, and hence many were prepared to hail any movement 
which promised to give them what had so long been sys- 
tematically withheld, — the Scriptures of truth for their own 
perusal. Copies exposed for sale and advertised in the news- 
papers found many purchasers, not only from the city, but also 
from the distant provinces. 

"At the mission-house many copies were distributed gratui- 
tously; and on several occasions there was what might be called 



256 Brazil and the Brazilians, 

a rush of applicants for the sacred volume. One of these occurred 
soon after my arrival. It was known that a supply of books had 
been received, and our house was literally thronged with persons 
of all ages and conditions of life, — from the gray-headed man to 
the prattling child, — from the gentleman in high life to the poor 
slave. Most of the children and servants came as messengers, 
bringing notes from their parents or masters. These notes were 
invariably couched in respectful, and often in beseeching, lan- 
guage. Several were from poor widows who had no money to buy 
books for their children, but who desired Testaments for them to 
read at school. Another was from one of the ^Ministers of the 
Imperial Government, asking for a supply for an entire school out 
of the city. 

"Among the gentlemen who called in person were several prin- 
cipals of eollegios. and many students of different grades. Ver- 
sions in French, and also in English, as well as Portuguese, were 
sometimes desired by amateur linguists. We dealt out the pre- 
cious volumes according to our best judgment, with joy and with 
trembling. This being the nrst general movement of the kind, we 
were at times inclined to fear that some plan had been concerted 
for getting the books destroyed, or for involving us in some species 
of difficulty. These apprehensions were contradicted, however, by 
all the circumstances within our observation ; and all who came 
made their errand on the ground of its intrinsic importance, and 
listened with deep attention to whatever we had time or ability to 
address to them concerning Christ and the Bible. 

••It was not to be presumed, however, that so great an amount 
of scriptural truth could at once be scattered among the people 
without exciting great jealousy and commotion among certain of 
the padres. Nevertheless, others of this class were among the 
applicants themselves. One aged priest, who called in person, and 
received by special request copies in Portuguese. French, and 
English, on retiring, said. -The like was never before done in this 
country.' Another sent a note in French, asking for & A 
le youveau Testament. In three days two hundred copies were dis- 
tributed, and our stock was exhausted: but applicants continued to 
come, till it was estimated that four times that number had been 
called for. All we could respond to these persons was to inform 



Failure of Opposition to the Bible. 257 

them where Bibles were kept on sale, and that we anticipated a 
fresh supply at some future day. 

" We were not disappointed in the opposition which was likely 
to be called forth by this manifestation of the popular desire for 
the Scriptures. A series of low and vile attacks were made upon 
us in a certain newspaper, corresponding in style with the well- 
known spirit and character of their authors. Indeed, in immediate 
connection with this interesting movement a periodical was started, 
under the title of Catholico, with the avowed object of combating 
us and our evangelical operations. It was an insignificant weekly, 
of anonymous editorship. After extravagant promises, and re- 
peated efforts to secure permanent subscribers, it made out to 
struggle against public contempt for the space of an entire month. 
Yielding to the stress of circumstances, it then came to a pause. 
An effort was made to revive it some time after, with the more 
imposing title of Catholico Fluminense. Thus its proprietors 
appealed as strongly as possible to the sympathy and patriotism 
of the people, by the use of a term of which the citizens of Rio de 
Janeiro are particularly proud. Under this heading it barely suc- 
ceeded in surviving four additional numbers, in only one of which 
was the least mention made of the parties whose efforts to spread 
the pure word of God had given it origin. 

"This species of opposition almost always had the effect to 
awaken greater inquiry after the Bible j and many were the indi- 
viduals who, on coming to procure the Scriptures, said their atten- 
tion was first called to the subject by the unreasonable and fanatical 
attempts of certain priests to hinder their circulation. They 
contemned the idea, as absurd and ridiculous, that these men should 
attempt to dictate to them what they should not read, or set up an 
inquisitorial crusade against the Bible. They wished it, and if for 
no other reason, that they might show that they possessed religious 
liberty, and were determined to enjoy it. They poured inexpressi- 
ble contempt upon the ignorance, fanaticism, and even the immo- 
rality, which characterized some of the pretended ministers of 
religion, who dreaded to have their lives brought into comparison 
with the requirements of God's word. 

"Those of our friends who were consulted on the subject almost 
invariably counselled us to take no notice of the low and virulent 



258 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

attacks made upon us, with which the people at large had no sym- 
pathy, and of which every intelligent man would perceive the un- 
worthy object. Such articles would refute themselves, and injure 
their authors rather than us. 

" The results justified such an opinion. One gentleman (a Portu- 
guese) in particular said to us, with emphasis, * Taking no notice 
of these things, you ought to continue your holy mission, and 
scatter truth among the people.' With this advice we complied, 
and it is now a pleasing reflection that our energies and time were 
devoted to vastly higher and nobler objects than the refutation of 
the baseless but rancorous falsehoods which were put forth against 
us. We knew full well that this opposition was not so much against 
us as against the cause of the Bible, with which we were identified, 
and we were content to ' stand still and see the salvation of the 
Lord.' And most delightful it was to witness the results of that 
overruling Providence which can make the wrath of man tributary 
to the divine praise. 

a The malignity of this worse than infidel opposition to the 
truth excited the cariosity of numbers to examine whether indeed 
the word of God was not ' profitable for instruction and for doc- 
trine/ The results of such an examination upon every candid 
mind may be easily conjectured. Thus the truths of inspiration 
found free course to hundreds of families and scores of schools, 
where they might be safely left to do their own office upon the 
minds and hearts of the people. 

"Some instances of the happy and immediate effects of circulating 
the Bible came to our knowledge ; but it is reserved for eternity 
to reveal the full extent of the benefit. While subsequently tra- 
velling in distant provinces, I found that the sacred volumes put 
in circulation at Rio de Janeiro had sometimes gone before me, and 
wherever they went an interest had been awakened which led the 
people to seek for more." 

There are other means than newspapers for the progress of the 
Brazilians in knowledge and belles-lettres. 

In addition to the various colleges and academies described in 
another chapter, there are a number of public institutions and as- 
sociations whose object is the cultivation of literature and science, 
and the diffusion of knowledge. 



National Library. 259 

The Bibliotheca Nacional contains 100,000 volumes. These con- 
sist chiefly of the books originally belonging to the Royal Library 
of Portugal, which were brought over by Dom John VI. The 
collection is annually augmented by donations and Government 
aid. It was thrown open to the public bj T the Portuguese monarch, 
and lias ever since remained under suitable regulations, free of 
access to all who choose to enter its saloon and read. This library 
is open daily from nine a.m. till two p.m., and was formerly en- 
tered from the Rua detraz do Carmo ; but the Government not 
long ago purchased the commodious private residence of Sr. Vianna, 
which is beautifully situated in the vicinity of the Passeio Publico, 
where the accommodations are very greatly superior to those 
which it has hitherto possessed. When it was located in the old 
library-buildings, it presented an interesting sight to the visitor. 
Tables covered with cloth, on which were arranged writing- 
materials, and frames designed to support large volumes, extended 
through the room from end to end. The shelves, rising from the 
floor to the lofty ceiling, were covered with books of every lan- 
guage and date. You might here call for any volume the library 
contained, or the city newspapers and European magazines, and sit 
down to read and take notes at your pleasure. This collection has 
also been increased by valuable private donations, among which that 
of the books of the late Jose Bonifacio de Andrada deserves especial 
mention. By Imperial decree in 1876, a most important work, en- 
titled Annaes da Bibliotheca Nacional do R. de Janeiro, was begun. 
Sr. Pascual de Ga} T angos, in the Academy (London), gives the five 
volumes, which have appeared, the highest praise. 

The publicity of such a library cannot fail to have a beneficial 
influence upon the literary taste and acquirements of the students 
of the metropolis, — which, by degrees, will extend itself to the 
whole community. While the student at Rio may find in the 
National Library nearly all that he can desire in the field of ancient 
literature, he may also easily gain access to v more modern works 
in the subscription-libraries. 

The English, the German, and the Portuguese residents have 
severally established such libraries for their respective use. That 
of the English is somewhat extensive and valuable. 

Among the Government institutions must be classed the National 



260 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Museum, on the Campo de Santa Anna, which is gratuitously thrown 
open to visitors ; and great numbers avail themselves of this plea- 
sant and instructive resort. The collection of minerals has been 
much augmented in value by a donation from the heirs of Jose 
Bonifacio de Andrada. They presented to the Museum the entire 
cabinet of their father, who in his long public career had rare 
opportunities for making a most valuable collection. At an early 
period of his life he was Professor of Mineralogy in the University 
of Coimbra, Portugal, where he published several works that gained 
him a reputation among the scientific men of Europe. Through 

his life he had been 
industrious in ga- 
thering together 
models of machines 
and mechanical im- 
provements, toge- 
ther with choice 
engravings and 
coins ; and his 
heirs certainly 

could not have 
made a more mag- 
nanimous disposal 
of the whole than 
to confer them 
upon the nation. 
The department of 
mineralogy is well 
arranged, but con- 
tains many more 
foreign than native 
specimens. The 
same lack of Bra- 
zilian curiosities 
formerly prevailed 
in other depart- 
ments, although in that of aboriginal relics there has been from 
the establishment of the Museum a rich collection of ornaments 




P Y EAGLE. 



Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute. 261 

and feather-dresses from Para and Matto Grosso. There is a con- 
stant enlargement and improvement in every respect. Still, it 
may be said that while the cabinets of Munich and Vienna, Paris, 
St. Petersburg, London, and Edinburgh have been enriched by 
splendid collections from Brazil, in various departments of natural 
history, yet in the Imperial Museum of Eio de Janeiro but a meagre 
idea can be formed of the interesting productions — mineral, vege- 
table, and animal — in which the Empire abounds. 

It was here that I saw a very fine living specimen of the great 
harpy eagle, from the forests of the Amazon. 

There is an Imperial Academy of the Fine Arts, which was 
founded in 1824, by a decree of the National Assembly. It is at 
present organized with a Director and four Professors, — viz. : of paint- 
ing and landscape, of architecture, of sculpture and of design, and 
a corresponding number of substitutes. This institution is open to 
all who wish to be instructed in either department, and about 
seventy students are annually matriculated, — the greater proportion 
in the department of design. This Academy also provides funds 
for the support of a certain number of its most meritorious alumni 
at Rome. Amongst the alumni who have attracted attention in 
Europe, the names of V. Meirelles and Pedro Americo stand highest. 

The Conservatorio de Musica is a State Academy where instruction 
in instrumental and vocal music is given to both sexes by competent 
professors. It has the honor of having instructed Antonio Carlos 
Gomes, the composer of the " Guarany." There is a Conservatorio 
Dramatico, to whose censorship were submitted, in one year, 250 plays, 
of which 170 were approved, 54 were amended, and 33 were of such 
a character as to be suppressed and to merit unqualified rebuke. 

The imperial Agricultural, the Statistical, and the Auxiliadora 
Societies enroll many public- spirited men and good writers. But 
the association which in its character, dignity, and numbers is 
the first in all South America is the Brazilian Historical and Geo- 
graphical Institute, organized at Rio de Janeiro in 1838, which has 
clone more than any other society to awaken the spirit of Brazilian 
literary enterprise. This association adopted as its fundamental 
plan the design of collecting, arranging, and publishing or pre- 
serving documents illustrative of the history and geography of 
Brazil. Several distinguished persons took a deep interest in it 



262 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

from the first. The Government also lent a fostering hand. The 
General Assembly voted an annual subsidy in aid of its objects, and 
the Department of Foreign Affairs instructed the attaches of the 
Brazilian embassies in Europe to procure and to copy papers of 
interest that exist in the archives of different courts, relative to 
the early history of Brazil. By this movement individual exertions 
were aroused, and the spirit of inquiry was excited in different 
parts of the Empire as well as abroad, and interesting results have 
already been accomplished. 

During the first year of its existence, this Institute numbered 
near four hundred members and correspondents, and had collected 
over three hundred manuscripts, of various length and value. The 
most important of these it has already given to the world, together 
■with some valuable discourses and essays furnished by its members. 
Two Fridays of each month are devoted to the sittings of this 
association; and none of its members and patrons are so punctual 
or take so deep an interest in all its proceedings as Dom Pedro II. 
Its organ is a Quarterly Review and Journal, which publishes the 
proceedings of the society at length, together with all the more 
important documents read before it. We have been particularly 
interested in the articles it has contained upon the aboriginal tribes 
of South America, and also in its biographical sketches of dis- 
tinguished Brazilians. 

On the whole, it may be questioned whether the Portuguese 
language contains a more valuable collection of miscellany than is 
thrown together in the pages of the Bevista Trimensal ou Jornal 
do Instituto Historico Brazileiro. 

Almost all the leading men of Brazil belong to the learned pro- 
fessions. Such a thing as an eminent mechanic or merchant hold- 
ing high position in the State I believe to be unknown. There 
are certain officers who hold their appointment and receive pay 
under Government, in accordance with a rule which deserves par- 
ticular mention. The professors of some of the public institutions, 
and perhaps the attaches of some of the Government bureaux, 
receive a certain annual salary. It may not be large ; but, after 
holding office for a stipulated number of years, the employee, if his 
conduct has been without reproach, can retire, and is paid from the 
Imperial Treasury a sum equal to the added salaries of his whole 



Administration of Justice. 263 

term of service. This is a strong inducement to the faithful dis- 
charge of duty, and perhaps operates to keep unscrupulous dema- 
gogues from seeking office as a reward for party exertions. It is 
thus that the under-officers in the Brazilian Government acquire a 
full knowledge of the difficult routine of the various Departments; 
and the changes of ministry leave no difficulties for the new Cabinet 
to surmount in carrying on the machinery of government. The 
Brazilian mode certainly seems more in accordance with common 
sense than the rotation-in-office principle which prevails in the 
United States. 

In another chapter will be found the course of study pursued in 
the chief law-school of the Empire. The administration of justice 
is much simpler than in England or the United States. There are 
almost the same magistrates and judges, under different names. 
The delegado or subdelegado is the justice of the peace; the juiz 
municipal answers to the circuit judge or the presiding officer of 
the Court of Common Pleas; the Juiz dos Orphaos is the Judge of 
Probate; the Juiz de Direito is the Judge of the Supreme Court. 
There are district supreme judges in all the provinces, and there is 
a Supremo Tribunal de Justicia, which corresponds to the Supreme 
Court of the United States. 

From the experience of Governor Kent with the Brazilian tri- 
bunals, and from the interesting letters of Eev. Charles N. Stewart, 
I cull the following facts in regard to the mode of conducting a 
criminal trial at Eio de Janeiro. The party accused is first brought 
before the subdelegado in whose district the crime has been com- 
mitted. He is verbally examined, and his replies, as well as the 
questions, are all recorded. The accused is asked his age, profes- 
sion, &c. as minutely as the magistrate thinks proper. He is not 
compelled to answer, but his silence may lead to unfavorable in- 
ferences. The examination of the prisoner is followed by that of 
the witnesses, who are sworn by placing the hand upon the Bible. 
The administration of the oath is of the most solemn and impres- 
sive character, and in this respect at least the Brazilians read us a 
wholesome and a needful lesson. All rise — court, officers, bar, and 
spectators — and stand in profound silence during the ceremony. 
When the jury retires there is also a great manifestation of respect, 
— all standing until the twelve have left the court-room. 



264 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The subdelegado, after the preliminary examination, decides 
whether the accused shall be held for trial, and submits the papers 
with his decision to a superior officer, who usually confirms it, and 
the accused is imprisoned or released on bail. 

In civil cases, unless of very great importance, the jury does not 
form a part of the judicial administration. The jury consists of 
twelve men. "Forty-eight are summoned for the term; and the 
panel for each trial is selected by lot, the names being drawn by a 
boy, who hands the paper to the presiding judge. In capital cases 
challenges are allowed without the demand of cause. The jury 
being sworn and empannelled, the prisoner is again examined by 
the judge — sometimes at great length and with great minuteness 
— not only as to his acts, but as to his motives. The record of the 
former proceedings, including all the testimony, is then read. If 
either party desire, the witnesses may be again examined, if pre- 
sent ; but they are not bound over, as with us, to appear at the 
trial. Hence, the examination of the accused and the witnesses at 
the preliminary process is very important and material. In many 
instances, the case is tried and determined entirely upon the record 
as it comes up." — Brazil and La Plata. 

When the record is read, witnesses are produced on the side of 
the Government, and the prosecuting-attorney addresses the jury. 
The testimony, or the witnesses of the defendant, are then intro- 
duced, and his advocate addresses — sometimes at great length — 
the twelve on whose decision hangs the destiny of his client. The 
prosecutor replies if he deem it best ; after which the judge briefly 
charges the jury and gives them a series of questions in writing, 
the answers to which constitute the verdict ; and thus, it will be 
seen, special pleading and legal skirmishing is in a great measure 
defeated. The decision in each case is by majority, and not by 
unanimity, as with us. A case begun is generally finished without 
an adjournment of the court, though it should continue through 
the day arfd the entire night. 

The arrangement of the court-room is somewhat different from 
that in the United States. The judge, with his clerk, sits on one 
side of the hall, and the prosecuting-attorney on the other. The 
jury, instead of being in a "box," are seated at two semicircular 
tables placed at the right and at the left of the judge. The lawyers 



Trial by Jury. 265 

do not stand when they address the jury, but, like the professores 
on examination-day, the collegios always make their speeches ex 
cathedra. The lawyers not engaged in the suit which may be 
before the court occupy a kind of pew which resembles the box for 
criminals in English and American halls of justice. 

The following verdict of a jury was returned in a case of homi- 
cide which occurred in Eio in 1851. The trial came off in the 
spring of 1852, and the "return" is translated from one of the daily 
newspapers printed at the capital, and gives a clear and concise 
notion of the nature of the questions propounded by the judge, and 
the ease with which a jury can come to a speedy conclusion in 
regard to the guilt or innocence of any accused individual : — 

Questions propounded by the Judge to the Jury, and the Verdict rendered, 
in the Second Trial of B. 

In this case the first jury fully acquitted the respondent. The 
presiding judge appealed to the Court of Kela^ao, consisting of all 
the judges, twelve in number. This court, on hearing, sustained 
the appeal and ordered a new trial. 

Questions. 

1. Did the defendant, B., on the 23d of September of the last 
year, kill, by discharging a pistol, the Italian, C, in D.'s hotel ? 

Answer. Yes; (by twelve votes.) 

2. Did he commit the offence in the night-time ? 
Ans. Yes; (by eight votes.) 

3. Did the defendant commit the offence with superiority of 
arms, in a manner that C. could not defend himself with a proba- 
bility of repelling the attack? 

Ans. Yes; (by eleven votes.) 

4. Did the defendant commit the offence proceeding with con- 
cealment or surprise ? 

Ans. JSTo; (by seven votes.) 

5. Are there any circumstances extenuating the offence in favor 
of the defendant ? 

Ans. Yes; (by eight votes.) By Act 18, § 3, of the Criminal 
Code: — "If the defendant commits the crime in defence of his 
proper person;" and ditto, § 4 of same article : — "If the defendant 



266 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

commits the offence or crime in retaliation or revenge of an injury 
or dishonor which he has suffered." 

6. Do the jury find that the respondent commits the act 
(or offence) in defence of his person ? 

Arts. Yes ; (by seven votes.) 

7. Was the defendant certain of the injury (or evil) which he 
intended to avoid (or escape from) ? 

Ans. Yes ; (by seven votes.) 

8. Was the defendant absolutely without other means less 
prejudicial ? 

Ans. No ) (by eight votes.) 

9. Had the defendant provoked the occasion for the conflict? 
Ans. No; (by eight votes.) 

10. Had the defendant done any wrong which occasioned the 
conflict ? 

Ans. No ; (by eight votes.) 

11 and 12, (like 9 and 10,) in reference to the family of the de- 
fendant, if they had provoked, &c. ; and answered, No, (by twelve 
votes each.) 

Upon this verdict the court adjudged B. guilty, and sentenced 
him to twelve years' imprisonment at hard labor and the costs. 

An appeal was again taken to the same Court of the Eelacao. 
He was pardoned by the Emperor, October, 1852, upon application 
of the Minister-Plenipotentiary of his (B.'s) country and by the 
petition of others. 

The following is a curious case of some legal interest : — In 
February, 1853, a black man was put on trial before the jury on 
charge of having a pocket-knife, (jack-knife, as we call it.) It did 
not appear that the black had done or threatened any injury ; but 
the crime was, having a prohibited article. During the trial, a 
white man appeared and claimed the negro as his slave. This 
claim was made part of the case on trial, and the jury were directed 
to determine whether he was free or the slave of the claimant. 
They found, by the judge giving the casting vote, that he was 
free, and, by ten votes, that he was guilty of the crime. He 
was sentenced to one month's imprisonment as a freeman. Thus 
he obtained a judicial sentence which secured his freedom and 



Complaints of Corruption. 267 

had to stay one month as a lodger in jail. A lucky jack-knife 
to him ! 

It is impossible, in a work like this, to enter fully into the merits 
and demerits of the mode of administering law in Brazil. From 
time to time many charges of corruption have been brought, by 
rumor, against those who administer it, and doubtless, in some 
cases, corruption has existed. Those who have had property 
awaiting Certain decisions of the Juizes dos Orphaos have com- 
plained that it was much reduced before judgment was rendered. 
Foreigners have also murmured at what they termed unfairness, 
and have hinted that some of the magistrates have not been above 
bribery. 

It would not be altogether just to compare the administration 
of law in Brazil to that of England ; but I hazard nothing in saying 
that in no country of South America is there greater personal 
security and a fairer dispensation of justice than in this Empire. 
Each year the various codes are becoming better digested ; and the 
number of eminent men in the legal profession has placed it, in 
point of mental ability, in the first rank of the learned vocations. 



CHAPTEK XT. 

THE CLIMATE OF BRAZIL — ITS SUPERIORITY TO OTHER TROPICAL COUNTRIES COOL 

RESORTS TRIP TO ST. ALEIXO BRAZILIAN JUPITER PLUVIUS THE MULATTO 

IMPROVISOR SYDNEY SMITH'S " IMMORTAL" SURPASSED — A LADY'S IMPRESSIONS 

OF TRAVEL AN AMERICAN FACTORY A YANKEE HOUSE THE RIDE UP THE 

ORGAN MOUNTAINS FORESTS, FLOWERS, AND SCENERY — SPECULATION IN TOWN- 
LOTS — BOA VISTA HEIGHT OF THE SERRA DOS ORGOES CONSTANCIA THE 

"HAPPY VALLEY" THE TWO SWISS BACHELORS YOUTH RENEWED PROSAIC 

CONCLUSION TODD'S " STUDENT'S MANUAL" THE TAPIR — THE TOUCAN THE 

FIRE-FLIES EXPENSES OF TRAVELLING NOVA FRIBOURGO — CANTA GALLO- 

PETROPOLIS. 

Those whose tropical experience has been in the East Indies or 
the western coast of Africa can have no just conception of the 
delightful climate of the greater portion of Brazil. It would seem 
as if Providence had designed this land as the residence of a great 
nation. Nature has heaped up her bounties of every description : 
cool breezes, lofty mountains, vast rivers, and plentiful pluvial irri- 
gation, are treasures far surpassing the sparkling gems and the 
rich minerals which abound within the borders of this extended 
territory. No burning sirocco wafts over this fair land to wither 
and desolate it, and no vast desert, as in Africa, separates its fer- 
tile provinces. That awful scourge, the earthquake, — which causes 
strong men to become weak as infants, and which is constantly 
devastating the cities of Spanish America, — disturbs no dweller in 
this Empire. While in a large part of Mexico, and also on the 
west coast of South America, — from Copiapo to the fifth degree 
of south latitude, — rain has never been known to fall, Brazil is 
refreshed by copious showers, and is endowed with broad, flowing 
rivers, cataracts, and sparkling streams. The Amazon, — or, as the 
aborigines term it, Para, "the father of waters," — with his mighty 
branches, irrigates a surface equal to two-thirds of Europe; and 
the San Francisco, the Parahiba do Sul, the vast affluents of the 
268 



The Climate of Brazil. 269 

La Plata, under the names of the Paraguay, Parana, Cuiaba, Para- 
nahiba, and a hundred other streams of lesser note, moisten the 
fertile soil and bear their tributes to the ocean through the southern 
and eastern portions of the Empire. Perhaps an exception may be 
found in the small Province of Ceara, but that does not alter the fact 
that this land is designed by nature for the sustenance of millions. 

Now, there must be some reason for this bountiful irrigation, this 
fertility of soil and salubrity of climate. 

Lieutenant Maury — who seems almost literally to have taken 
"the wings of the morning" and to have flown to the uttermost 
parts of the sea — has shown conclusively why it is that Brazil is 
so blessed above corresponding latitudes in other lands. South 
America is like a great irregular triangle, whose longest side is 
upon the Pacific. Of the two sides which lie upon the Atlantic, 
the longest — extending from Cape Horn to Cape St. Eoque — is 
three thousand five hundred miles, and looks out upon the south- 
east j while the shortest — looking northeastward — has a length of 
two thousand five hundred miles. This configuration has a power- 
ful effect upon the temperature and the irrigation of Brazil. The 
La Plata and the Amazon result from it, and from those wonderful 
winds, called the trades, which blow upon the two Atlantic sides 
of the great triangle. These winds, which sweep from the north- 
east and from the southeast, come laden, in their journey over the 
ocean, with humidity and with clouds. They bear their vapory 
burdens over the land, distilling, as they fly, refreshing moisture 
upon the vast forests and the lesser mountains, until, finalty caught 
up by the lofty Andes, in that rarefied and cool atmosphere they 
are wholly condensed, and descend in the copious rains which per- 
petually nourish the sources of two of the mightiest rivers of the 
world. The prevailing winds on the Pacific coast are north and 
south. No moisture is borne from the ocean to the huge barrier 
of mountains within sight of the dashing waves, and hence the 
aridity of so much of the hypothenuse of the triangle. I have 
beheld the western -and eastern coasts of South America within 
thirty days of each other, and the former seemed a desert com- 
pared with the latter. 

No other tropic country is so generally elevated as Brazil 
Though there are no very lofty mountains except upon its extreme 



270 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

western border, yet the whole Empire has an average elevation 
of more than seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. 

This great elevation and those strong trade-winds combine to 
produce a climate much cooler and more healthful than the cor- 
responding latitudes of Africa and Southern Asia. The traveller, 
the naturalist, the merchant, and the missionary do not have their 
first months of pleasure or usefulness thrown away, or their con- 
stitutions impaired by acclimating fevers. 

The mean temperature of Brazil — which extends from nearly 
the fifth degree of north latitude to the thirty-third of south 
latitude (almost an intertropical region) — is from 81° to 88° 
Fahrenheit, according to different seasons of the year. At Rio de 
Janeiro, — on the authority of Br. Dundas, — the mean tempera- 
ture of thirty years was 73°. In Becember, (which corresponds to 
June in the Northern Hemisphere,) maximum, 89 £°; minimum, 
70° ; mean, 79°. In July, (coldest month,) maximum, 79° ; mini- 
mum, 66°; mean, 73 J°. I can add, from my own observations for 
several years, that I never saw 90° attained in the summer-time, 
and the lowest in the winter (June, July, and August) was 60°, 
and this was early in the morning. 

The heat of summer is never so oppressive as that which I have 
often experienced, in the hot days of July and August, at New 
York and Boston, where frequently the high point of 104° or 
105° Fahrenheit has been reached. It must, however, be conceded 
that three months of weather ranging between 73° and 89° would 
be intolerable if it were not for the cool sea-breeze on the coast 
which generally sets in at eleven a.m., and the delicious land- 
breeze which so gently fans the earth until the morning sun has 
flashed over the mountains. In the interior the nights are always 
cool; and it may be added that, one hundred miles from the sea- 
coast, the climate is entirely different. 

Rio is happily situated in its accessibility to the elevated regions. 
An hour's ride leaves you among the cascades and coolness of 
Tijuca ; six hours by steamer, railway, and coach lift you up to 
the mountain-city of Petropolis ; or twelve hours will bring you 
amid the sublimities of the Serra dos Orgaos and the silent and 
refreshing shades of Constancia, where, in truth, we ma}' be far 
away from the dust, din, and diplomacy which are the constant 



Trip to St. Aleixo. 271 

concomitants of the commercial and political capital of Brazil. 
Again, we may vary our route and ascend the mountains to the ele- 
vated uplands upon which are situated the prosperous towns of Nova 
Friburgo and Cantagallo, with their adjacent flourishing coffee-plan- 
tations. All of these are delightful resorts, formerly reached only 
on horseback, but now the last two are attainable by rail. 

ISTot far from the usual route to Constancia is the sweet little 
valley of St. Aleixo, where an American has erected a cotton- 
factory in the midst of the most beautiful tropic scenery. To 
some it might be a profanation that these wilds should be startled 
by any other sounds than the leaping streams from the Serra, or 
the songs of birds and the shrill music of the cicada ; but perhaps 
there are few who would not be content to behold industry taking 
the place of indolence, though they might yield to none in love for 
the beautiful. 

I visited St. Aleixo a number of times, and enjoyed the kind 
hospitality of its director, who through many obstacles had at last 
triumphed in establishing the first successful cotton-manufactory 
in the province of Eio de Janeiro. 

My last visit to St. Aleixo was made under such circumstances 
of weather that 1 am constrained to give it as an instance of what 
must be expected at certain seasons of the year. Though in the 
province of Rio de Janeiro there is no "rainy season/' properly so 
called, yet early visitors to the capital will not soon forget the 
drenching rains, made doubly perceptible by the uncouth water- 
spouts which for many years have been done away, but which 
formerly poured more than a miniature cascade upon the passers- 
by. But of these spouts it may now be said their ' ' occupation's 
gone," and by a city ordinance they are really where Intrude* 
is, — among the curiosities of Rio that have only a historical 
existence. 

The usual mode of getting to St. Aleixo is by steamer to 
Piedade, and thence by carriage to the secluded valley some eight 
or ten miles from the landing-place. On the occasion of the visit 
referred to, I was accompanied by a number of friends, among 
whom was Mr. M., the worthy director and one of the owners of 
the "Fabrica." 

We left the Quai dos Mineiros (not far from the Convent of San 



272 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Ben to) in the little clumsy steamer that plies between Eio and the 
upper end of the bay. The morning was bright, but we were 
soon overtaken by a thunder-storm. Such rain! In temperate 
zones we fancy that we know what is meant by rain. Quite a 
mistake! It is child's play when compared to the pouring tor- 
rents of the tropics. There was no cabin, and the curtains but 
half performed their office. In rushed the water over our clothes, 
under our feet, and out at the scuppers, like holy-stone day on 
board ship. 

When we were sufficiently wet, the rain abated and the curtain 
rose. And well that it did so; for the bad weather had driven in 
all the motley crowd of troupeiros usually occupying, along with 
their more respectable animals, the forward-deck of the boat; and 
the hot steam arising from the greasy cattle-drivers, the unkempt 
muleteers, and the damp darkies, was not the most agreeable to 
the lady portion of our company. 

The time was beguiled in looking at the glorious scenery and in 
listening to the improvisation of a mulatto who was going to a 
festa in Maje, there to sell his wit and his doces. He told long 
stories in verse, and imitated different voices with admirable skill. 
When asked to improvise on Paqueta, the lovely insular gem that 
we were passing, he immediately dashed off in a strain of poetry, 
describing the beauties of the island, and then descanted on the 
faults and failings of its inhabitants, and in a satiric strain worthy 
of Juvenal lashed the proceedings of the people who frequented the 
religious festas that are annually held on its bright shores. He 
concluded with a eulogy on Jose Bonifacio de Andrada, who here 
ended his days. In short, had Corinne heard him, jealousy would 
have saved her the trouble of dying for love. Jesting apart, the 
man's talent was of a high order, and the harmonious and flowing 
verse showed the adaptation of the Portuguese language to 
rhythmical composition 

After a hasty repast at a rude inn near the landing-place of 
Piedade, we prepared for the road. Up came our equipage. I 
must, in justice to our worthy host, say that his nice American 
vehicle had received some injury, so that he could only send his 
mules and engage the best conveyance afforded by the village of 
Maje. We felt some slight remorse at the destruction of life that 



A Lady's Impressions or Travel. 278 

our entrance into the venerable vehicle must have caused, as it 
seemed to have served as a temporary refuge to some gay, locked-out 
rooster. But we ought not to speak ill of the aged. Guiltless 
alike of paint and washing, it far outdid Sydney Smith's "Immor- 
tal," which, doubtless, was kept in perfect cleanliness by his tidy 
Yorkshire servants. However, the sight of a good team reconciled 
us to the rudeness of the vehicle. Four fine mules plunged along 
through mud and water: I then understood how philosophical it 
was to avoid the trouble of washing a carriage. The Hyde Park 
turn-out of Count D'Orsay or the Earl of Harrington, in one short 
mile, would have been on a par with ours. We forded juvenile 
rivers and newly-made brooks; we lumbered up hill and down 
dale; now the coachman made a skilful detour close to a bank to 
avoid a deep mud-hole on the other side, and now he was obliged to 
pass under some tree whose overhanging branches gave us a capital 
douche. After some miles of this travel we stopped at a venda to 
give the animals breath and water before the gallop down the slope. 
Soon we were off again. 

" On, on we hasten' d, and we drew 
Their gaze of wonder as we flew!" 

And there was as black a tempest gathering for us poor Giaours as 
ever threatened to wet that uncomfortable, sword-waving rider of 
the "blackest steed!" Down came night and Brazilian rain! 
What had formerly been the hood of the carriage was transformed 
into a sort of a kitchen-sink, with a hole in the middle, through 
which poured the water. Luckily, we had an umbrella : this was 
inserted in the hole, and thus the stream was averted from our de- 
voted heads. 

In the midst of all this our driver gave a loud whistle, and 
thereupon out rushed four dark figures from a hut by the roadside 
A lady of the party afterward described her romantic impressions 
of this scene as follows : — 

" What my companions felt I know not; but it was quite allow- 
able for me, a poor, weak woman, to give myself over as robbed, 
or, at least, 'murthered!' One man jumped on the box with a 
huge stick in his hand, and the others followed behind, uttering a 
series of unearthly yells and undesirable epithets, but ail addressed 

to the mules; and, as I knew that the skins and skulls of those 

18 



274 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



beasts were thicker than mine, I was consoled. It was a party 
sent to push us up a steep hill; for be it known to all who are 
ignorant of the idiosyncrasy of these animals, that, when once they 
consider the task assigned to them unreasonable, no persuasion 
can induce them to set shoulder to the work. No doubt they cry 
to Jupiter, but he will not help them; and so they stand still, or 
allow the vehicle to draw them backward; and on the edge of a 




THE FABRICA AT 



precipice this is not a pleasant way of travelling. So, after each 
mule had clearly learned from the yelling quartette the estimation 
in which he was held, we gained the summit. How gladly we 
rolled down into that beautiful valley where the factory raises its 
white walls! We afterward beheld it under a bright sun, and 
Southey's remark that ' even nature herself abhors a factory, and 
refuses to clothe its walls with climbers/ is here contradicted, for 



A Grove of Sensitive Trees. 275 

the lovely glen in whose bosom this building reposes would lend 
grace to any structure. 

"How hearty was our welcome from the pretty Virginia hostess 
who met us as we entered, all forlorn! Eight gayly we recounted 
our fright and adventures, and it was the old story over again : — 

" ' She loved us for the dangers we had pass'd, 
And we loved her that she did pity them.' 

" Byron could not bear to see a lady eat, — it is so unethereal. 
Strictly speaking, it is a singular process, — throwing sundry morsels 
into a hole in your face and using your chin as a mill. Of course, 
it was only the masculine part of the company who partook of 
the Westphalia ham, broiled chicken, and other dainties prepared 
by the good hostess. Such proceedings did not agree with the 
poetical feelings of my more celestial nature!" 

The following morning we surveyed the locality. The pro- 
prietor's house stands at a short distance from the factory, and 
both were actually framed in the United States, brought out in 
pieces, and put together in Brazil. The pine used for the »house 
has, in spite of predictions to the contrary, proved superior in 
durability to Norwegian pine. A meadow of bright green slopes 
away from the house toward a clear, rapid brook, which, after 
rains, may well be called a river; but in dry weather it is easily 
traversed on the stones that strew its bed. Mr. M. had long and 
painful researches to find a stream that never dries up even in the 
hottest season. At last he discovered this little river, and here 
took up his abode. The hills rise around, covered with the most 
luxuriant growth; here and there a stately palm rises like a chief- 
tain above its fellows; farther on, the mountains stretch away and 
blend with the clear blue of the heavens. On the branches sing 
bright-plumaged birds, that seem, in the early morning, to call on 
the sensitive-plant trees to awake from their night's slumber. It 
was, indeed, hard for me to realize that the little sensitive-plant 
which I had looked upon at home as among the most delicate of 
exotics is here reproduced in almost giant forms. Its family abounds 
in Brazil, and the grove that surrounds the residence of Mr. M. is 
actually composed of trees which quietly fold their leaves in repose 
at vespers, only to be awakened by the morning sun and the sing- 



276 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ing-birds. The city-friends of Mrs. M. used to offer their condo- 
lence that she was so far removed from society in that retired vale; 
but they were always cut short in their proffered sympathy by the 
information that no sense of loneliness prevailed in that sweet 
spot. There one may find companionship in those majestic moun- 
tains "precipitously steep/' the flowering woods, the forest- voices, 
and the gushing music of brooks and fountains. 




YANKEE HOUSE 



The remembrance of St. Alexio is like that of a pleasant dream, 
or the sunny memories of the secluded vales and sparkling waters 
at the base of the Dent du Midi, — not a day's ride from the upper 
end of the Lake of Geneva. 

Mr. M. deserves the greatest credit for his persevering efforts 
which placed here this first successful cotton-manufactory in the 
province. Others had endeavored to establish similar fabricas, to 
be driven by steam-power, in the city; but they were failures. Not 
only had Mr. M. to contend with nature, but probably his worst 
annoyances came from a dilatory Government. As to operatives, 
the factory is supplied from the German colony of Petropolis. 
Another has paid a just tribute of merit to Mr. M. ; and I can 
heartily subscribe to the sentiments therein contained: — "Though 
it is only in the more common fabrics in cotton that the manufac- 
turer «can yet compete with British and American goods, yet he 



Blooming Forests of the Serra dos Orgaos. 277 

[Mr M.] deserves a medal of honor from the Government, and 
the patronage of the whole Empire, not only for the establish- 
ment of the manufactory, but for the living example — set 
before a whole province of indolent and sluggish natives — of 
Yankee energy, ingenuity, indefatigable industry, and unyielding 
perseverance." (Mr. M. died in 1857.) 

It is a comfortable day's ride from St. Alexio to Constancia, — 
though the usual manner of procedure is to start at mid-day from 
Kio in the steamer, arrive at Piedade at three o'clock, where 
mules and guides are awaiting those who have been prudent enough 
to announce by letter to the "jolly Heath" their intention of 
spending a few days amid the Serra dos Orgaos. A few hours 
across the lowlands bring us through the town of Maje to Frechal, 
(or Freixal,) where the weary and the lazy often spend a night in 
a dirty inn, surrounded by crowds of children, (the proprietor is 
the father of twenty-three meninos,) and by vast troops of mules, 
which, laden with coffee, are on their way to the steamer at 
Piedade. But for those who love a dashing ride up the mountains, 
on a road in some places paved as the old Eoman causeways, — 
those who wish to feel an evening atmosphere which in coolness 
and chilliness reminds one of the temperate zone, — the Barreira 
will be the resting-place. Here is the toll-gate of this fine moun- 
tain mule-path, which must have been built at an immense cost, 
as several miles are paved like the streets of a city. 

We zigzag up the steep sides of the Serra, looking down upon 
the tops of majestic forest-trees whose very names are unfamiliar, 
and whose appearance is as curious as picturesque and beautiful. 
Dr. Gardner, who made a most thorough investigation of the flora 
of the Organ Mountains, has recorded in his interesting travels the 
vegetal riches of this lofty range, and those who would revel in 
descriptions of palms, Cassice, Lauri, Bignonias, Myrtacece, Orchi- 
dr.ce, Bromeliacece, ferns, &c. &c. must turn to the pages of a work 
which, though necessarily deficient in the history, politics, and 
present condition of Brazil, is the most unassuming and charming 
book ever written on the natural aspect of the tropic land under 
consideration. 

In the months of April and May, (October and November in 
Brazil,) only the autumnal tints of our gorgeous North American 



278 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

woods can compare with the sight of the forest of the Serra dos 
Orgaos. Then the various species of the Laurus are blooming, and 
the atmosphere is loaded with the rich perfume of their tiny snow- 
white blossoms. The Cassioa then put forth their millions of golden 
flowers, while, at the same time, huge trees — whose native names 
would be more unintelligible, though less pedantic, than their 
botanic terms of Lasiandra, Fontanesia, and others of the Melas- 
toma tribe — are in full bloom, and, joining rich purple to the 
brightest yellow, present, together with gorgeously-clothed shrubs, 
"flowers of more mingled hue than her [Iris's] purpled scarf 
can show." From time to time a silk-cotton-tree (the Chorisia 
speciosa) shoots up its lofty hemispherical top, covered with 
thousands of beautiful large rose-colored blossoms, which grate- 
fully contrast with the masses of vivid green, purple, and yellow 
that clothe the surrounding trees. Floral treasures are heaped 
on every side. Wild vines, twisted into most fantastic forms or 
hanging in graceful festoons, — passion-flowers, trumpet-flowers, 
and fuchsias in their native glory, — tree-ferns, whose elegance of 
form is only surpassed by the tall, gently-curved palmito, which 
is the very embodiment of the line of beauty, — orchids, whose 
flowers are of as soft a tint as the blossom of the peach-tree, or as 
brilliant as red spikes of fire, — curious and eccentric epiphytes 
draping naked rocks or the decaying branches of old forest-mon- 
archs, — all form a scene enrapturing to the naturalist, and bewilder- 
ing with its richness to the uninitiated, who still appreciate the 
beauty and the splendor that is scattered on every side by the 
Hand Divine. The overpowering sensation which one experiences 
when entering an extensive conservatory filled with the choicest 
plants, exotics of the rarest description, and odor-laden flowers, 
is that (multiplied a thousandfold) which filled my mind as I gazed 
for the first time upon the landscape, with its tiers of mountains 
robed in such drapery as that described above ; and yet there was 
such a feeling of liberty, incompatible with the sensation expressed 
by the word "overpowering," that it is impossible to define it. In 
the province of Minas-Geraes, from a commanding point, I once 
beheld the magnificent forest in bloom ; and, as the hills and undu- 
lating plains stretched far away to the horizon, they seemed to be 
enveloped in a fairy-mist of purple and of gold. 



Speculation in Town-Lots. 279 

The Barreira is situated in a spot of great wildness and sublimity; 
for the Organ-peaks, that rise thousands of feet above, seem like 
the aiguilles which start fantastically from the glaciers of Mont 
Blanc; and the rushing, leaping, thundering cascades are com- 
parable to the five wild mountain-torrents, " fiercely glad," that 
pour into the Vale of Chamouny. I was once at the Barreira during 
a tropic storm, and the foaming, roaring rivers, which hurried 
down with fearful leap from the very region of dread lightning 
and clouds, madly dashed against the huge masses of granite, as 
if they would have hurled them from their mighty fastenings, and 
tore their way into the deep valley beneath with sounds that 
reverberated among the giant peaks above, giving me a new com- 
mentary on the sublime description in the Apocalypse : — "And I 
heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters and as the 
voice of a great thunder." 

From the Barreira we ascend by zigzags to the uplands, where 
is situated the former fazenda of Mr. March. His residence — 
so often visited by Langsdorf, the celebrated Russian voyager, 
Burchell, the African traveller, and Gardner, the botanist — is now 
to be numbered among the things that were ; for the spirit of 
enterprise and monej'-making has laid out in this elevated valley 
a new resort for the Fluminenses, and speculation in town-lots 
among the Organ Mountains soon became rife in these uplands of 
Brazil. I hope that it may prove a successful enterprise ; for here 
the wearied and jaded from the city will find coolness and salubrity, 
at the town of Theresopolis, in the midst of the most imposing 
sceneiy. 

Before reaching March's and the former mountain-home of Mr. 
H n, (whose hospitality many a visitor to Brazil will have occa- 
sion to remember,) we climb along the very sides of one of the most 
precipitous of the Organ-pipes. Hence is a view of commanding 
extent, — of mountain, plain, bay, and ocean, — embracing, it is said, 
a panorama of more than two hundred miles in circumference, in 
the midst of which, though distant, the capital of the Empire is 
seen gleaming amid its verdant and lofty environs. The point 
for beholding this landscape is appropriately called Boa Vista, 
(" beautiful view.") So enraptured was the Eev. Charles N. 
Stewart with the grandeur of the scene, that he doubts if— in its 
combination of mountain, valley, and water — it has a rival ; and 



280 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

adds that, in his wide experience in various continents, he only 
remembers one other prospect that approximates to it, — viz. : the 
pass "through the mountains of Granada, followed by the first 
view of the 'Vega,' with the city, the walls, and the towers of the 
Alhambra, and the snow-covered heights of the Nevada above all, 
gloriously lighted by the glowing hues of the setting sun/' 

At the elevation of Boa Yista the climate is very much cooler 
than at Bio. In the month of June the thermometer has been 
known to fall as low as 32° Fahrenheit just before daybreak; but 
this is rare : 40° in the morning and 70° in the warmest portion 
of the day is the winter regime; and, in the summer, 60° and 80° 
are the two extremes. In January and February, (the July and 
August of the Southern tropics,) violent thunder-storms often 
occur, — generally in the afternoon, — and then pass over, leaving 
the evening delightfully cool. 

Here and at Oonstancia nearly all the European fruits and vege- 
tables thrive ; and, as at Madeira and Teneriffe, the apple and the 
orange, the pear and the banana, the vine and the coffee-plant, 
may be seen growing side by side. Mr. Heath received quite an 
income from the productions of his vegetable-gardens; and, at Bio, 
the fine cauliflower, (so difficult of cultivation in the tropics,) the 
best asparagus, and most of the artichokes, peas, carrots, &c. come 
from Constancia, and are esteemed as rare in that land as the 
carefully-cultivated hothouse pineapple in England. Two English 
shillings per head are given for the largest Constancia cauliflower 
at Bio. This kind of garden, it has seemed to me, might be in- 
creased in number in the upper region of the Semi, where are 
many fertile little valleys, "all well irrigated by small streams of 
cool and limpid water. If they could be managed with the care, 
industry, and perseverance which Mr. Heath had brought to bear 
upon such cultivation, they could not but bring a lucrative return 
to their proprietors, and would confer a great benefit upon the 
growing city of Bio de Janeiro. 

Like the mountains of Tijuca and the curious elevations around 
Bio, the whole of the Organ range consists of granite. The alluvial 
soil is very deep and rich in the valleys, and underneath it exists 
the same red-colored, slaty, ferrugineous clay which is so common 
throughout Brazil. 



The Altitude of the Mountains. 



281 



The scenery becomes more tame as we leave Boa Vista, and we 
seem to be far removed from the climate of the plains, though 
around us the palms, ferns, cacti, tillandsias, &c. tell us that we are 
not beyond the limits of Capricorn. Creeping and drooping plants, 
bright flowers and foliage, still abound. Occasionally, howling 
monkeys hold a noisy caucus over your head, or a flock of bright 




TOa *^r 



THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS. 



parrots glides swiftly over the tall and gracefully-bending bamboos, 
which are a distinctive feature in the landscape. This giant of the 
grass-tribe has frequently been found in these mountains from 
eighty to one hundred feet in height and eighteen inches in dia- 
meter. They do not, however, grow perpendicularly, nor often 
singly, but, in vast groups, shoot up fifty and sixty feet, and then 
curve gently downward, forming most cool and beautiful domes. 

As we look back, we have a view of the Organ-pipes, and the 
aspect which they present is entirely different from that ragged, 



282 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

pointed, and diminutive appearance which they show when seen 
from the bay. From our nearness and our altitude they seem like 
sharp naked mountains rising above a sea of foliage. The range 
from which they are detached is still more lofty, and is most 
massive in its character. Few persons have ascended these moun- 
tains, and those have either been naturalists or daring hunters. 
Dr. Gardner made probably the most thorough scientific explora- 
tion, and up these heights Heath has often pursued the clumsy 
tapir or the lithe jaguar. The sloth, howling monkeys, the Bra- 
zilian otter, a little deer, (Cervus nemorivagus,) and two kinds of 
peccari, may still prove attractions to the naturalist and the sports- 
man ; but every year they are becoming more rare. Of birds there 
are many varieties, remarkable for their brilliant plumage, and a 
few are much sought after for their delicacy, the jacu and jacutinga 
being the most esteemed. 

The difficulties of the ascension of these mountains consist of 
the thickets of underwood, the serried ranks of great ferns and 
trailing bamboos, in addition to the steepness of the Serra. The 
paths of the tapir, however, render the undertaking much more 
feasible than it otherwise would be. Dr. Gardner, after two 
attempts, — the latter made several years after the first, — attained 
the highest summit of the range. These mountains — known in 
geographies as a portion of the Brazilian Andes, the Serra do Mar, 
and the Organ Mountains — have been variously estimated to pos- 
sess an altitude ranging from five thousand seven hundred feet up 
to eight thousand feet. Gardner gave his estimate of the highest 
peak at 7,500 feet above the level of the sea. This was only ap- 
proximate.* M. Liais, the French astronomer, gives the altitude 
of the highest peak of the Organ Mountains at 2,015 metres, or about 
6,550 feet. Baron Homem de Mello states that one of the peaks 
on the Theresopolis road is 3,576 feet high. 



* In the first ascent, Dr Gardner accidentally broke his barometer before he had 
made a single observation ; but, when on his last excursion he attained the highest 
summit, with the aid of the thermometer he made the estimate in the manner thus 
recorded: — "At mid-day the thermometer indicated 64° in the shade, and I found 
that water boiled at a heat of 198° ; from which I estimate the height of the moun- 
tain above the sea-level to be 7800 feet. A register of the thermometer — kept 



CONSTANCIA. 



283 



From March's au hour's brisk trotting will bring us within sight 
of Constancia. Mr. Heath, when expecting guests, was almost 




HEATH'S, (CONSTANCIA.) 



sure to meet them at an inner gate of his estate, about a half-mile 
from his residence, the main building of which rises from the midst 



dunng our stay in the upper regions of the Serra and observed on the level of 
Mr. March's ^,-pn a mean difference of temperature between the two 
places of 12° V. Baron Humboldt estimates the mean decrement of heat within 
the trop.cs at 1° for every 344 feet of elevation, and considers this ratio as uniform 
up to the hetght cf 8000 feet, beyond which it is reduced to three-fifths of that 
quantity, as far as the elevation of 20,000 feet. It has, however, since been found 
hat, tn general, the effect of elevation above the level of the sea, in diminishing 

z e n e h ls v; a " latit : des - nearly in proportion to the hei ^- *° 

bang 1 of heat for every 352 feet of altitude : this would give 4400 feet for the 
elevatton of the highest peah of the Organ Mountains above Mr. Mar ch^I 
and, as thts ts 3100 feet above the level of the sea, we have for the total^st 
e.evauon ,500 feet. '-Owner's Travel* in Brazil, second edition, p 405 



284 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of the little cottages like a huge Bernese chalet. The smaller 
buildings were filled, in the summer-time, with boarders who came 
up to enjoy the cool air of Constancia and the bracing douche of 
the cascade which rushes down from the hill opposite. In this 
quiet cul-de-sac the Northerner was reminded, by the moss-roses and 
violets, of his own far-off land in springtime. Not far from the 
front-door, as we approached the main edifice, were large clumps of 
roses of a diminutive kind, growing in wild profusion. The tube- 
rose, the Cape jessamine, and the delicate heliotrope, filled the air 
with sweets ; and these and the arbors, with their honeysuckles, 
attracted the tiny humming-birds, which sparkled in the sunshine like 
winged "emeralds of richest hue. 

Who that has been to Constancia will forget the material com- 
forts with which Heath surrounded one? It was one of the few 
resorts for health and recreation that I have visited where the 
proprietor seemed more like a host entertaining his friends than a land- 
lord fleecing his boarders. His anecdotes kept up a constant cheer- 
fulness, while his adventures among the forests and the mountains 
of Brazil were full of instruction. He accompanied Gardner on 
many of his excursions, and has been a perfect Nimrod. When 
the felis-onga abounded, the neighbors were sure to send for Heath 
to avenge depredations upon their folds; and many a well-sent 
bullet from his rifle has brought the beautiful jaguar — the monarch 
of the feline tribe in the Western World — to terms, which no troops 
of hounds or Brazilian guns could have effected. He informed me 
that many years ago his first visit to Constancia was in hunting 
the tapir which had made such havoc in the fields of Indian corn 
belonging to March' sfazenda, of which he was then the major-domo. 
The number of these huge animals that he has in former years 
killed in one season at Constancia has been thirty-two. This was 
merely in the line of duty ; for, if he had made a business of it, 
he could have "bagged" more tapirs, jaguars, peccari, &c. in one 
year than ever Gordon Cumming or Gerard did of their giant 
game in the wilds of Kaffraria or Algeria. (Heath died in 1864.) 

It has often been a subject of wonder to me that of the tapir, 
the largest animal of South America, so little should be known. It 
also derives an interest from the fact that, though one of its species 
exists in the Old World, it was not discovered until long after the 



The American Tapir. 



285 



Tapir Americanus ; for the Malay tapir ; differing but little from its 
Occidental congener, was never described until the governorship 
of Sir Stamford Baffles in Java. 

The tapir forms one of the connecting-links between the ele- 
phant and the hog. Its snout is lengthened into a kind of pro- 
boscis, and, with the exception of the trunk of the elephant, which 
it resembles, is the longest nasal appendage belonging to any 
quadruped. It is, however, devoid of that clever little-finger with 
which nature has enriched the trunk of the land-leviathan. This 
curious animal has many fossil relatives, but only three living 
species (two of them belonging to South America) have as yei 
been discovered. 



Nk^ 



,,Q-^ 




The tapir is extensively distributed over South America east of 
the Andes, but especially abounds in the tropical portions. It 
seems to be a nocturnal vegetarian, — sleeping during the day, and. 
sallying forth at night, feeds upon the young shoots of trees, buds, 
wild fruits, maize, &c. &c. It is of a deep-brown color throughout, 
approaching to black, between three and four feet in height, and 
from five to six in length. The hair of the body, with the excep- 
tion of the mane, is scanty, and so closely depressed to the surface 
that it is scarcely perceived at a short distance. Its muscular 



286 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

power is enormous; and this, with the tough, thick hide (almost 
impervious to musket-ball) which defends its body, enables it to 
tear through thickets in whatever direction it chooses. The jaguar 
frequently springs upon it, but is often dislodged by the activity 
of the tapir, who rushes through the bushes and underwood and 
endeavors to brush off his enemy against the thick branches. Its 
ordinary pace is a sort of trot; but it sometimes gallops, though 
awkwardly and with the head down. It is very fond of the water, 
and high up on the Organ Mountains are pools where it delights 
to wallow. Its disposition is peaceful, and, if not attacked, it will 
neither molest man nor beast; but, when set upon by the hunter's 
dogs, it can inflict terrible bites. Mr. Heath informed me that each 
time it seizes a dog with its teeth the flesh is cut completely from 
the bone of the canine intruder. The flesh of the tapir is dry, and 
is often eaten by the Indians of the interior, by whom it is hunted 
with spears and poisoned arrows. It takes to the water, and is 
not only a good swimmer, but appears almost amphibious, being 
enabled to sustain itself a long time beneath the surface : hence it 
has sometimes been called Hippopotamus terrestris. The largest 
which Mr. Heath ever shot weighed fourteen Portuguese arrobas, 
(about four hundred and fifty pounds,) though doubtless much larger 
exist in the Amazonian regions. Naturalists divide the American 
tapir into two species, — that of the lowlands and that of the moun- 
tains, — the latter, found on eastern slopes of the Andes, differing 
but little from the one already depicted and described. 

The peccari is often met with in the woods of Brazil ; and this 
little native swine is . the most pugnacious fellow imaginable. 
Neither men nor dogs inspire reverence; for he will attack both 
with impunity. It is gregarious in its habits, and will, with its 
companions, charge most vehemently, no matter how great the 
odds. It is, I believe, one of the very few animals that has no 
fear of the detonation of fire-arms. 

There are many beautiful and secluded walks and rides in the 
vicinity of Constancia, and frequently Mr. Heath accompanied his 
guests in the wild and romantic spots which here abound. I once 
climbed with two companions to the top of the mountain seen on the 
right in the sketch of Constancia, (page 283;) and, though I have 
made many ascensions among the Alps and the Apennines, I 



Todd's "Student's Manual" — The " Happy Valley." 287 

have never experienced so much fatigue and difficulty as on that 
occasion. We were the first, with one exception, to stand upon 
that height and behold the wondrous view around. I afterward 
made a sketch of the Organ Mountains at a point some miles dis- 
tant from Heath's, and where the peaks presented the appearance 
of irregular saw-teeth ; and I could then appreciate better than 
before the Spanish and Portuguese terms (Serra and Sierra, — a saw) 
for mountains. 

The sketch alluded to (though not engraved) was made on the 
fly-leaf of a book which I reread in the Serra dos OrgSos, and which 
has since circumnavigated with me the Continent of South Ame- 
rica. That book was an English edition of Todd's " Student's 
Manual," — a work which delighted my boyhood, which gave me 
new resolution in college, and whose cheerful style, beautiful illus- 
trations, and healthy thought cause it to be a most agreeable com- 
panion when no longer under tutors and governors. 

Mr. Heath once took our company, through a little belt of forest, 
to a valley not more than two miles distant from Constancia. 
From the edge of the woods we looked down upon a dell whose 
narrow end was next to us. Beyond, on either side of the moun- 
tain-spurs which formed the valley, were the clark-green coffee- 
trees and the pretty shrubs of the Chinese tea-plant. Far beneath 
us, almost embowered amid giant bananeiras and orange-trees, we 
perceived the red tiles of a cottage. We descended by a little 
path to this half-hidden habitation, and were introduced to the pro- 
prietors, two Swiss brothers, who, after having served in the Eng- 
lish army, retired upon a good pension, and here, in quiet, were 
enjoying life in one of the healthiest and most delightful places upon 
the earth. The elder brother had not been to the city for eighteen 
years. He had visited the United States when a younger man, but 
only that portion which constitutes the northern border of New 
York. While we were conversing with them, a flock of wild par- 
rots came swooping into the open windows, screaming with delight 
as they ate the sunflower-seeds which these benevolent old bachelors 
had scattered for them. The edges of the coSee-terreno (where 
the berries are spread out to dry) were lined with large orange- 
trees, whose boughs bent downward with their golden burden; 
running roses had festooned themselves upon shrubs, trees, and 



288 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

outhouses, diffusing grateful fragrance from the thick clusters of 
buds and blossoms; purling brooks mingled their noisy, gleesome 
music with the more softened cadence of a distant waterfall, and 
the whole scene had so much of peace and felicity pervading it, 
that the " Happy Yalley" of Dr. Johnson's imagination seemed 
here to find its counterpart in reality. 

I paid many pleasant visits to this pretty spot, and the lovely 
valley grew upon me by the hour. In the cottage of the two 
Swiss I found the best current periodicals, in French, German, 
English, and Portuguese, all of which languages they speak with 
fluency. The contrast was, however, most striking, as we con- 
versed about Grindenwald, Martigny, the Riga, and the shores of 
Lake Leman, (accurate paintings of which hung on the walls,) 
and then looked forth upon a landscape of perennial bloom and of 
unchanging verdure. They took me to their garden, where they 
were, for their pleasure, cultivating moss-roses (which grow with 
difficulty in Brazil) and vines brought from the warmer parts of 
their native Switzerland. 

During one of my visits they informed me that they had pur- 
chased this plantation from a gentleman now residing in the State 
of Indiana, and they were equally surprised when I informed them 
that that State was my terre natale. They had kept up an active 
correspondence with the former proprietor, whom they represented 
as a lover of music and Goethe, but that since 1849 they had re- 
ceived no intelligence from him, and they feared that he had fallen 
victim to the cholera, which had swept through the Mississippi 
Yalley daring the year mentioned. They desired me to write to a 
friend to see if Mr. R. were dead or alive : accordingly, I wrote to 
one of the professors of South Hanover College, Indiana; and my 
correspondent ascertained that Mr. R. was still in the land of the 
living. Professor T. visited him, and found Mr. R. a venerable 
German of more than threescore years and ten; but his love for 
music had not abated, and he was ready to battle for Goethe at a 
moment's notice. He had not forgotten his friends in Brazil, but, 
from some cause unknown, had not written to them ; and hence 
their apprehensions. When, however, he heard the description of 
the " Happy Yalley" in the sunny land of the Southern Cross, the 
vision of its roses, golden fruits, fadeless green, and murmuring 



Prosaic Conclusion. 289 

brooks came so vividly before him, that, aged as he was, his youth 
seemed renewed, and he resolved to return once more to that which 
was his first and beautiful home in the New World. I know not 
if he carried his resolution into effect, but I can readily imagine 
how powerfully one may be stirred up by the memory of beauty 
which is inseparable from that peaceful dale in the Serra dos 
Orgoes. 

In October, 1868, 1 again visited the " Happy Valley," at the invi- 
tation of the elder brother, whom I found a cheerful hale man of 
seventy-six. The younger brother spent the last year (1857) of 
his life in an attempt to plant a colony near Theresopolis, a town 
built since 1855 on March's old plantation. Mr. Rinke never re- 
turned to Brazil : in 1860 he visited the haunts of Goethe and 
Schiller, and died at Lucerne, Switzerland, from a cold caught 
while making a pilgrimage to the scenes of Schiller's " Wilhelm 
Tell." The " Happ}' Valley" has lost none of its loveliness, and 
pleasant recollections will always cluster around it. 

In one of my early walks on Heath's plantation, I was very 
much struck with a tall tree that shot up near the pathway. Its 
trunk was a little inclined, — otherwise remarkably straight; but its 
chief attraction was the long and venerable moss which hung from 
the wide-spreading branches and was gently swayed by the per- 
fume-laden morning-breeze. I sat down to sketch it, and while 
thus engaged I was startled by a loud chattering; and in an 
instant a flock of brilliantly-colored birds, in curious flight, came 
from the neighboring wood and alighted upon the solitary tree. 
Though their mo.tion on the wing was exceedingly clumsy, they 
were most nimble as they leaped from limb to limb. They kept 
up a continual chattering, as if they had met together to arrange 
their plans for the day. I soon perceived that, notwithstar ding 
their brilliant plumage, which made the lofty tree seem laden with 
large golden oranges, they were as uncouth in appearance as they 
had been awkward in flight. Their bilfwas apparently of most dis- 
proportionate length, which did not, however, hinder their active 
movements among the gnarled branches and pendent moss. Pre- 
sently, having settled upon their arrangements for the day, they 
took a unanimous vote, which was uttered in such a viva voce scream 

that the very mountains resounded with wild, unearthly notes. 

19 



290 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



This was my first acquaintance with the toucan, which in its 
appearance is one of the most eccentric members of the feathered 
tribe. The feathers of tho breast of the ramphastos dicolorus are 
of the most brilliant orange, chrome, and deep-rose colors, and 
form a prominent feature in the feather-dresses and ornaments of 
the wild Indians of the interior. In the sixteenth century the 
"high-born" dames of the courts of Europe esteemed as their most 




THE MOSS-COVERED TREE. 



gorgeous and picturesque robes those trimmed with the breast- 
feathers of the toucan. Its tongue is long, stiff, and is tipped and 
edged with little, hairlike feathers. It has a singular manner of 
taking its food. I have watched one in a tame state eating Indian 
corn; and it would take one grain in its huge bill, throw up its 
head, elevating its long appendage, and by a series of quick jeike 
the grain would be tossed along the stiff tongue into the throat. 



The Toucan. 



291 



The toucan belongs to climbing-birds, and is classed with par- 
rots, woodpeckers, and cuckoos. Its foot, provided with two toes 
in front and two behind, is admirably adapted to the purposes of 
climbing and clinging. Its bill is by no means solid, and might 
be termed honey-combed in its structure, and hence is light. This 
long and heavy -looking instrument seems to be very sensitive and 
well supplied with nerves, as its owner may be often seen scratch- 
ing the curious organ with its foot. 

Waterton speaks of one species of the toucan in Northern Brazil 
(the toucans are only found in Tropical America) which "seems to 
suppose that its beauty can be increased by trimming his tail, 
which undergoes the same operation as our hair in a barber's shop; 
only with this difference, — that it uses its own beak (which is ser- 
rated) in lieu of a pair of scissors. As soon as his tail is full- 
grown, he begins about an inch 
from the extremity of the two 
longest feathers in it, and cuts 
away the web on both sides of 
the shaft, making a gap about 
an inch long: both male and 
female adorn their tails in this 
manner, which gives them a re- 
markable appearance amongst 
all other birds." 

The toucan is a most grotesque 
specimen of ornithology, and the 
Aracari, (Pteroglossus,) with his 
huge bill and goggle-eyes, ap- 
pears like a melancholy Jaques, 
or a spectacled German idealist, 

who has banished himself far from the haunts of men, to speculate 
on the miseries of human nature and the exalted excellence of the 




THE TOUCAN. 



"populous solitude of bees and birds 
And fairy-form'd and many-color'd things." 



The student of natural history can find much to gratify him in 
the Organ Mountains. There are many beautifully-colored snakes, 
(only a few of which are very venomous,) a vast variety of lizards, 



292 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

curious frogs and toads, — as some one has remarked, — from the 
small tree-kind, not more than an inch long, to those marsh ones 
which are nearly large enough to fill a hat. Beautiful butterflies 
vie with the flowers which from time to time they taste, or their 
brilliant wings are reflected from the small pools on whose banks 
they alight in countless numbers. Large wasp-nests as well as 
tropical leaves adorn the branches of trees. In some places, beetles 
like gems attach themselves to the foliage and flowers of low 
shrubs, and at night the air is lighted up with fire-flies which 
Gardner compares, in brilliancy, to " stars that have fallen from 
the firmament and are floating about without a resting-place." 

One evening I walked from Heath's toward the " Happy Yalley,' r 
but, not prolonging my promenade far in that direction, I entered 
a forest and pursued my way to the edge of a precipice, or rather 
a crater-like hollow whose centre was a thousand feet below me 
and whose sides were covered with trees. The night was dark, 
and it had fallen so suddenly after the brief twilight, that, so far as 
anticipation was concerned, I was unprepared for it. Before re- 
tracing my steps I stood for a few moments looking down into the 
Cimmerian blackness of the gulf beneath me; and, while thus 
gazing, a luminous mass seemed to start from the very centre. I 
watched it as it floated up, revealing, in its slow flight, the long 
leaves of the Euterpe edulis and the minuter foliage of other trees. 
It came directly toward me, lighting up the gloom around with its 
three luminosities, which I could now distinctly see. This was the 
pyrophorus noctilucus, so well known to every traveller in the 
Antilles and in Tropical America. It is of an obscure, blackish 
brown, and the body is everywhere covered with a short, light- 
brown pubescence. When it walks or is at rest, the principal light 
it emits issues from the two yellow tubercles; but, wdien the wings 
are expanded in the act of flight, another luminous spot is dis- 
closed in the hinder part of the abdomen. These luminosities — sup- 
posed to be phosphoric in their composition — are so considerable 
that the fire-fly is often employed in the countries where it prevails 
as a substitute for artificial light. 

In the mountains of Tijuca I have read the finest print of "Har- 
per's Magazine" by the light of one of these natural lamps placed 
under a common glass tumbler, and with distinctness I could tell 




The Fire-Fly and the Iguana. 293 

the hour of the night, and discern the very small figures which 
marked the seconds of a little Swiss watch. The Indians formerly 
used them instead of flambeaux in their hunting and fishing expedi- 
tions; and when travelling in the night they are accustomed to 
fasten them to their feet and hands. In some parts of the tropics 
they are used by the senhoritas for adorning their tresses, or their 
robes, by fastening them within a thin gauze-work; and through 
them their bearers become indeed "bright particular stars." It 
was of this fire-fly (which resembles, in every thing but color, the 
" snapping-bug" of the Mississippi Yalley) that Mr. Prescott, in his 
"Conquest of Mexico," narrates the terror which they inspired in 
the Spaniards in 1520. "The air was filled with 'cocuyos/ 
(pyrophorus noctilucus,) a species of large beetle which emits an 
intense phosphoric light from its body, strong 
enough to enable one to read by it. These 
wandering fires, seen in the darkness of the 
night, were converted by the besieged into an 
army with matchlocks." Such is the report 
of an eye-witness, — old Bernal Diaz. 

In one of my rides toward Canta Gallo, I 
saw in the road the large lizard called the iguana. There is nothing 
to me disgusting in this clean-looking reptile, whose skin, composed 
of bright, small scales, resembles the finest bead- work. I had often 
seen them at Eio spitted and hawked about the city; for the flesh 
is esteemed a great delicacy, — resembling in its appearance and 
taste that bonne bouche for epicures, a frog's hind-leg. The usual pic- 
tures of the iguana do not render it full justice; they represent it 
as horrid in appearance as the imaginary baleful-breathed, javelin- 
tongued dragon from which good St. George delivered so many 
devoted virgins. The iguana is from three to five feet in length, 
and is oviparous. A lady member of my family possessed one 
which was a great favorite, and she has kindly furnished me with 
some notes on her pet. I insert them verbatim. 

" Pedro [the iguana] afforded me much amusement. From his 
close resemblance to the snake-tribe, it was difficult for strangers 
to rid their mind of the impression that he was venomous. Such 
is not the case with iguanas. Their only means of defence is their 
very powerful tail ; and a sportsman told me that he has had a 



THE BRILLIANT FIRE-FLY. 



294 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

dog's ribs laid bare by a stroke of an iguana's tail. My poor 
pet, however, was not warlike, having been long in captivity. He 
was given me as a i Christmas-box' by a friend, and soon became 
tame enough to go at liberty. He was about three feet long, and 
subsisted upon raw meat, milk, and bananas. He had a basket in 
my room, and when he felt the weather cool would take refuge 
between the mattresses of my bed. There, in the morning, he 
would be found in all possible comfort. One evening we missed him 
from all his usual hiding-places, and reluctantly made up our minds 
that he was lost; but, on rising in the morning, two inches of his 
tail hanging out of the pillow-case told where he had passed a 
snug night! My little Spanish poodle and he were sworn foes. 
The moment Chico made his appearance, he would dash forward to 
bite Pedro; but Chico thought, with many others, that 'the better 
part of valor is discretion.' So he made' off from the iguana as 
fast as his funny legs could carry him. Then Pedro waddled slowly 
back to the sunny spot on the floor and closed his eyes for a nap. 
When the winter (a winter like the latter part of a Northern May) 
began, he became nearly torpid, and remained without eating for 
four months. He would now and then sun himself, but soon re- 
turned to his blanket. 

"I frequently took him out on my arm, and he was often spe- 
cially invited; but I cannot say that he was much caressed. It 
was in vain that I expatiated on his beautiful bead-like spots of 
black and white, on his bright jewel eyes and elegant claws. 

They admired, but 
kept their distance 1 
had a sort of malicious 
pleasure, in putting 
him suddenly down at 
the feet of the stronger 
sex, and I have seen 
him elicit from naval 
oflicers more symp- 
toms of terror than 
would have been 
drawn forth by an enemy's broadside or a lee shore. But, alas 
for the * duration of lovely things !' During the summer-months 




THE IGUANA. 



Travelling Expenses. 295 

he felt his old forest-spirit strong within him, and he often sallied 
forth in the beautiful paths of the Gloria. On one of these occa- 
sions he met a marauding Frenchman. Pedro, the caressed by me 
and the feared by others, knew no terror. The ruffian struck him 
to the earth. It was in vain that a little daughter of Consul B. tried 
to save him by crying, '11 est a Madame :' another blow fractured 
his skull ! My servant ran up only in time to save his body from 
an ignominious stew-pan; but life was extinct. The assassin fled, 
and Eose came back with my poor pet's corpse. On my return he 
was presented to view with his long forked tongue depending from 
his mouth. He was sent, wrapped in black crape, to a neighbor 
who delighted in fricasseed lizards, but who, having seen him 
petted and caressed, could not find appetite to eat him ! 

" Thus ended the career of j>oor Pedro, after a life of pleasant 
captivity; and perhaps it might be said of him, as of many others, 
'He was more feared than loved!' " 

From Constancia to Nova Fribourgo, or Morro Queimado, is a 
mountain and forest path, which is sometimes taken by travellers 
who wish to visit the villa named above. The route most frequently 
traversed is by steamboat from Eio de Janeiro, on the bay as far as 
the Macacii .River, and up this stream to the Engenho de Sampaio. 
Thence we may go by carriage or mule-back to the flourishing 
town of Porto das Caixas, which is the general rendezvous for 
the troops of mules that bring coffee and sugars from the Swiss 
colonies of Nova Fribourgo and Canta Gallo and a large section 
of the neighboring countr}\ Here were also debarked the goods 
which return from the capital in exchange for produce. 

But the railways into the mountain region have made a great differ- 
ence in eveiy thing. With the old romance of travel much of the 
discomfort has disappeared. At Porto das Caixas I found a very 
good inn ; the prices charged form a fair average that one will pay 
in the country, and ma}', with other expenses, be interesting to 
voyageurs who may come after me. I find in my note-book the fol- 
lowing enhy for myself and companion : — 

" Hospedaria de M. Boulanger. — Two dinners, two candles, two 
beds, coffee for two, two breakfasts, and the stabling of two mules, 
— 7$200," (equal to about sixteen English shillings.) 

At the excellent boarding-house of Mr. Lowenroth, at Nova 



296 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Fribourgo, you pay 2$ (one dollar) per diem for every thing. At 
Canta Gallo, thirty miles farther in the interior, I paid 6$000 (thir- 
teen and sixpence English) per diem, for myself, guide, and three 
mules. At Pedro Schott's, (a regular Tete noire chalet of rude con- 
struction,) situated in a wild, secluded spot half-way between the 
bay and Nova Fribourgo, for two dinners, two beds, two lights, and 
the stabling of two mules, — 4$500, (ten shillings twopence.) At 
Constancia and at Petropolis you pay 4$000 (nine shillings) per 
diem, the price of a first-class hotel in the United States. It must 
be remarked, however, that wine is never extra, and, as this is ob- 
tained at a cheap rate direct from Lisbon and Oporto, it is placed 
upon every table. On going into the fertile province of Minas- 
Geraes, I found that for myself and company we were charged at 
Petropolis 16$000, (nearly nine dollars,) and the next night at a 
little inn called Eibeirao we paid for the same accommodations 
4$000, (two dollars and twenty cents.) Upon the sea-coast I have 
always found the living expensive to the foreigner. Farther in the 
interior the prices diminish. At the Ponta do Jundiahi. in the pro- 
vince of S. Paulo, dinner for myself and guide, and feed for three 
animals, the price was but 1$500 (three shillings and fivepence Eng- 
lish.) The common Brazilian travels at a rate one-fourth cheaper 
than either the North American or the European. He rarely stops 
at the hospedaria, but, when he considers the day's journey ended, 
whether at two o'clock p.m. or six p.m., he rides under a rancho, 
gives a few handfuls of milho (maize) to his mule, and afterward 
turns him out to pasture. He then — if he has no servant with him 
— -joins with others occupying the same rancho, and feijoes, and came 
secca, greased with a little toucinho, and well stiffened with farinha 
de mandioca, form a substantial supper, which has as an adjunct 
coffee, red Lisbon, or water from the running brook. I have found 
sleep as sweet on a raw hide spread in the dust of a rancho as in 
the soft bed of the best New York hotel. The ranchos (mere tile- 
covered sheds) are found all over the country, and, like the cara- 
vanserais of the East, are often erected by the authorities; but in 
many instances they have been built by some vendeiro, who charges 
nothing for the shelter thus afforded to the tropeiros and the thou- 
sands of sacks of coffee and sugar on their way to the seaboard 
marts. The vendeiro, however, does not count without his host, for 



JS'ova Fkibourgo and Canta Gallo. 297 

iroupeiros need feijoes, came, farinha, cacha§a, and coffee for them- 
selves, and milho for their mules. Then an extra girth, a saddle- 
blanket, a pointed knife, and an iron spur, are often wanted; and 
the Portuguese vendeiro thus accumulates property, and in time 
becomes a fazendeiro, but does not give up the shop, which always 
brings him a good return. 

Those who intend travelling long journeys in Brazil would do 
well to purchase their own mules. Horses and mules (the latter 
are much more serviceable) may be hired at the rate of from 58000 
to 108000 (eleven to twenty-two English shillings) for each fifty 
miles, or for a certain sum the trip. 

The coffee-plantations of the elevated uplands of Nova Fri- 
bourgo and Canta Gallo rank among the best in the province of Eio 
de Janeiro : many of them are owned by Swiss and Frenchmen 
who came to Brazil at the invitation of Dom Joao VI., in 1820; but 
the colony of which they formed a part fell through, and the most 
energetic men have become proprietors. The late Baron of N. Fri- 
burgo had immense plantations in the vicinity of X. Friburgo, 
where he not only employed slaves, but many emigrants from Por- 
tugal, the Azores, and Madeira. His residence in the villa whence 
he derived his title is a large mansion built in good taste. A Pro- 
testant chapel of small dimensions is presided over by an old Lutheran 
clergyman who came to Brazil with the early German colonists. I 
could, however, perceive that there was but little Christian vitality 
among this people. Lutherans of the old Church-and-State School 
are among the very last men to propagate the gospel. There is more 
hope of some of the new pastors in the more recently-established 
German colonies. 

At Nova Friburgo are a number of excellent schools, the chief 
of which was the Institute Collegial of the late Mr. John H. Freese. 
This gentleman devoted many years to instruction in this cool and 
healthful spot, and many hundred young Fluminenses have here 
received an education in English and French, as well as in the Por- 
tuguese language. I have met with the scholars of Mr. Freese in 
different parts of the Empire, and they always manifested a general 
intelligence beyond the alumni of other similar institutions. His 
Nogoes Geraes dcerca da Edacagao da Mocidade Brazileira show that 
he had given much attention to the subject of education. 



298 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Between N. Fribourgo and Canta Gallo the scenery is remarkably 
Alpine, and such is the cultivation that one is readily reminded of 
the sweet valleys of Switzerland. In the neighborhood of Canta 
Gallo I found a number of intelligent German, Swiss, and French 
gentlemen, whose coffee-plantations bring them most lucrative 
incomes. I was not a little surprised at a kind offer of a German, 




NEAR THE VILLAGE OF NOVA FRIBOURGO. 



who manifested the beginning of his hospitality by asking me if 1 
would not take ein grog, and he was as astonished at my refusal as I 
had been at his offering. 

At the plantation-house of Mr. D., a Swiss from Zurich, I was 
surrounded by many reminiscences of his fatherland; and when I 
gazed upon his finely-cultivated fields, which stretched before his 
mansion, I could almost believe myself in some of the green vales 
of the Oberland, large paintings of which graced the walls of the 



Extent of the Bay of Eio de Janeiro. 299 

salon. The illusion was rendered more complete when night had 
hidden every palm-tree and flowering cactus, and I heard only the 
sounds of the French and German languages, or from the piano 
the simple notes of the Ranz des Vaches, sweet nocturnes, and the 
majestic strains of Mendelssohn and Beethoven. I could scarcely 
believe myself a hundred miles in the interior of Brazil. I, how- 
ever, realized that I was not in the land of Tell when I returned 
to Canta Gallo preceded by a negro in livery, who bore (on horse- 
back) a flaming torch, whose flashes of light revealed overhanging 
mimosas, bignonias, and long, bending bamboos. 

Now the traveller to Cantagallo, has no longer to provide mules for 
himself and baggage ; he takes the train at Nictherohy and is pro- 
pelled by steam amidst the grandeur of tropic mountains. 

In returning from this excursion, there is a magnificent view of 
the whole bay, extending as it does within its mountain-walls one 
hundred miles in circumference. The most important ports upon 
the borders of this bay are Maje, Piedade, Porto da Estrella, and 
Iguassii. At these several places great quantities of produce are 
delivered by troops from the interior and embarked in steamers 
and falluas for the capital. 

A glance at the map shows the Bay of Rio de Janeiro to 
contain numerous islands, of various form and extent. Ilha do 
Governador, or Governor's Island, is much the largest, measuring 
twelve miles from east to west. Most of these islands are inha- 
bited, and under tolerable cultivation. If any thing can add to 
the imposing scenery of this magnificent bay, it is the vast number 
of small vessels that are seen constantly traversing it, dotting the 
green surface of the water with their whitened sails. From morn- 
ing to evening may be seen, plying in every direction, open and 
covered boats, canoes, lanchas, falluas, and smacks. 

One of the most attractive residences for the people of Eio 
during the hot season is the newly -formed colony of Petropolis, 
situated about three thousand feet above the level of the sea. An 
agreeable steamboat transit amid the picturesque islands brings 
}-ou to Mana, the terminus of the first railroad built in Brazil, and 
for which the Empire is indebted to the enterprise of that enlight- 
ened and patriotic Brazilian, Ireneo Evangelista da Souza, who 
for this was created Baron (and since Viscount) of Maua by 



300 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the Emperor. The road is about ten miles long, and leads to the 
foot of the mountains, where carriages, each drawn by four mules, 
receive the travellers. The ascent is by an excellent road, which 
was built by the Government at an enormous expense, and reminds 
one of the Simplon route. In some parts the side of the moun- 
tain is so steep that three windings are compressed into a space 
small enough to allow of your being heard as you speak to the 
persons in the carriages going the opposite direction. When you 
reach the summit, before descending into the valley in which 
stands the town, a magnificent prospect opens before you. All the 
bay and city of Eio, with the plains of Maua, across which lies the 
diminutive railroad, are mapped out below. 

In the year 1837, Dr. Gardner writes, "We passed through the 
small, miserable village of Corrego Secco." This is now Petro- 
polis. All the neighboring land was at an earlier date obtained by 
the Emperor D. Pedro I. with a view to forming a German colony. 
This design was interrupted by his abdication, but has been car- 
ried out by his son, the present Emperor. It now has fifteen 
thousand inhabitants, and on every side are beautiful residences 
of wealthy Eio families who resort thither during the summer 
Nothing can exceed the beauty of the vicinity. Eoads, bordered 
by villas, stretch away from the centre, between hills still covered 
with virgin forest. Many of these, inhabited by the German 
colonists, bear the name of places in Fatherland, and the mind is 
pleasantly transported to scenes in the Old World. The highroad 
to the mining-district is through Petropolis, and troops of mules, 
laden with coffee, sugar, and sometimes gold, are perpetually pass- 
ing down to the head of the bay, where their loads are transferred 
to falluas and steamers to be transported to the city. 

The palace of the Emperor stands in the centre of the town. It 
is unpretending, surrounded by cultivated grounds, and presents a 
beautiful appearance. Small streams intersect the streets and are 
crossed by bridges, adding much to the singular aspect of the place. 

There are Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches, large hotels, 
and man} T shops. Here the Viscount of Maua had a mansion pleas- 
antly situated at the meeting of two mountain-brooks. Several 
of the diplomatic corps and other foreigners have villas here and 
there, — the English generally seeking the heights. 



Petropolis, the Mountain-City. 



301 



The colonists belong to a low class of Germans, and brought 
with them few arts and but little education. It seems difficult in 
any tropical climate to prevent the morals and industry of emi- 
grants from deteriorating, and this is particularly to be observed 
in slave-countries. The degraded colonist, while setting himself 
above the African, engrafts the vices of the latter upon the 
European stock, and thus sinks to a lower grade than the negro. 
The German in Brazil has the want of a sound moral people sur- 
rounding him, to sustain and elevate him: therefore it is no marvel 
if he sink lower and lower in the scale of civilization. Much, 
however, is being done for the Germans of Petropolis. The 
clergyman, as the pastor of the church and superintendent of the 
schools, takes a deep interest in the welfare of his countrymen 
both spiritually and intellectually. 




SWISS VALLEY, NEAR PETROPOLIS. 



It is not possible to obtain a view of the entire town of Petro- 
polis at one glance, because it is scattered in various valleys 
among the hills. More rain falls here than in Eio, and the tiny 
rivulets often become rushing streams, and the mule-troops labor 
on through miles of mud. This moisture keeps the air cool and 
freshens the flowers that cluster round the white-walled cottages 
which gleam from their dark-green background. The accompany- 



302 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ing view is taken in the Swiss valley, where, as you listen to the 
German accents of the villagers, fancy might induce you to believe 
yourself in Europe, did not the waving palm and rustling banana 
remind you that you dwelt under a tropic sun. 

Petropolis is annually becoming of greater importance. Its salu- 
brious and delightful climate will make it a large and fashionable 
resort for the Capital of the Empire, and perhaps the day is not 
distant when it will become the second city in the province. It stands 
at the entrance to the fertile province of Minas-Geraes, and, should 
some plan be devised for constructing a railway up the mountains, 
its growth will be most rapid. If Visconde de Maua would pay a 
visit to the United States and examine the Penns3 T lvania railways, 
or the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, he ma} T be encouraged to per- 
severe. Professor Agassiz considered the engineering triumphs of 
the Pedro II. Railway of the first rank in the world. This railway, 
which does not touch Petropolis, has, reached Sitio in Minas-Geraes. 
The Uniao and Industria turnpike is unique in South America. It 
begins at Petropolis, and extends to Juiz de Fora in Minas-Geraes, 
and is traversed by stage-coaches and ordinary freight- wagons. The 
map will show the railway S3 T stem in and around Rio, extending to 
S. Paulo and Minas-Geraes. 

Note for 1879. — Since the year 1855, some of the most important measures 
for developing the resources of Brazil have been carried out, at an enormous 
expense, but which day by day are showing their results. During the cabinet of 
the late Marquis de Parana, the Visconde de Bom Retiro, Minister of the Em- 
pire, contracted for the construction of the Pedro II. Railroad ; for that of the 
great macadamized road called the Uniao e Industria; and for the Canta-Gallo 
Railway, now completed to that town. The first section of the Pedro II. Railway 
was opened in 1857. The contract then passed from English into American hands, 
Messrs. Roberts, Harvey, and Harrah. The late Major Ellison, of Massachusetts, 
was the chief engineer of the road. When the second section of the road was 
completed, the Government continued the work, Mr. William Ellison being at 
that time the engineer in chief. Colonel W. Milner Roberts returned to the United 
States, but, on account of his great merits as an engineer, was recently (1878) 
called by the Brazilian government to again enter its service, to investigate the 
best means for removing the obstructions in various watercourses of the Empire. 
Mr. Charles J. Harrah, an instance of a successful self-made man in Brazil, has 
settled down in his comfortable home in Philadelphia. The trains now run to 
Sitio, 264 kilometres from Rio and not far from Barbacenfia. 



CHAPTEE XVI. 

PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE TO THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES THE PASSEN- 
GERS — UBATUBA EAGERNESS TO OBTAIN BIBLES THE ROUTINE ON BOARD — 

ABORIGINAL NAMES SAN SEBASTIAN AND MIDSHIPMAN WILBERFORCE SANTOS — 

BRAZILIANS AT DINNER INCORRECT JUDGMENT OF FOREIGNERS S. VINCENTE 

ORDER OF EXERCISES MY CIGAR PARANAGUA H.B.M. "CORMORANT" AND THE 

SLAVERS — MUTABILITY OF MAPS — RUSSIAN VESSELS IN LIMBO — THE PRIMA DONNA 
— AN ENGLISH ENGINEER — ARRIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO DO SUL. 

I have made two journeys to the Southern provinces, thirteen 
3 T ears apart ; but travel is now rendered much easier by rail from Rio 
to the capital and chief towns of Sao Paul. Still, as the picturesque- 
ness and romance (as well as desagreables) of travel were to be 
found in the dilatory steamers, in the mule-back ride, and in the 
canoe excursion, of former days, I have preferred giving the ex- 
periences of my earlier travels in the South. These descriptions are 
to-day true in many parts of the Empire. 

Having been kindly provided by Brazilian, German, and English 
friends at Rio with letters of introduction, and wishing to have 
ample leisure, I procured my passport, several days before my 
departure, at the proper bureau. One of the first lessons learned 
by the traveller in Brazil is patience and conformity to all existing 
formalities. No matter how absurd the regulation, as, for in- 
stance, that which requires one to obtain a passport in leaving the 
city of Rio de Janeiro for the provinces (where it is never de- 
manded,) you must submit. Protestations only bring a shrug of 
the shoulders from the snuff-taking official, and woe be to you 
if the hour for closing the bureau slips around before you have 
obtained the necessary document. To be perfectly en regie, the 
departing citizen or stranger must have his name registered either 
in the custom-house or printed in some public journal three days 
before his passport is granted, in order that his creditors may have 
an opportunity of knowing his movements. But the passport sys- 
tem, as well as quarantines, never prevented the adit or exit of 
rogues or pestilence. 

303 



304 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

In addition to this, I had prepared, the day before, my baggage, 
consisting of a trunk and a number of large boxes of books, and 
I had made arrangements with an under-clerk of a mercantile house 
to have these put on the steamer at an early hour. Believing 
myself perfectly secure, I was busily engaged in writing up to 
within half an hour of the time of departure. On entering the 
mercantile establishment referred to, I found that my baggage was 
still quietly resting where I had left it the day previous. There 
was just time to hurry it down to the Consulado in a cart. Off we 
started, and, on reaching this place, we went through a set of 
formalities in shipping the boxes; then, taking a boat, (for vessels 
there do not lie in docks,) we arrived at the steamer, and had the 
mortification to be informed by the Brazilian second mate that the 
objects of our haste could not be received on board at that hour 
without a special permit from the office of the steamer, which 
was in a street one mile distant from the Consulado. 

The blacks rowed me quickly to the shore, where I jumped into 
a tilbury and rattled through the streets to the much-coveted 
bureau of the Southern Steam-Packet Company. I obtained the 
permit, and, with as great celerity in returning as in coming, I was 
soon on board. I leave to the reader to judge how much easier 
and more reasonable the whole matter would have been in England 
or the United States, even if blame were to be attached to me for 
not attending to my own luggage and seeing it fairly on the 
steamer the day before. 

Once on board, I found that there had been no need of my great 
fretting, for the engine snorted and hissed more than an hour 
before we left the moorings. Our passports were all examined by 
the police-officer, and our personal identities were verified by the 
agent of the packet, in order to discover if all the passengers had 
paid their fare : the captain took his stand upon the wheel-house, 
and to his "Small turn ahead" we moved through the assembled 
shipping of the loading, discharging, and man-of-war anchorages, 
until a "Stop her" brought us under the guns of Yillegagnon. 
Here we received the last visit of the agent, and then the Govern- 
ment officials boarded us to see that all was right and you 

imagine that we steamed out of the bay, in which imagination you 
would be egregiously mistaken; for we lay before Yillegagnon for 



Ubatuba. 805 

two mortal hours, tossing up and down in a delightful swell which 
rolled in directly from the blue Atlantic. Something had been left 
behind by the captain's wife, which (of more value than a band- 
box) proved to have been a large package of money "expressed" 
to the South ; and hence our delay. 

It was after five o'clock when we passed the giant sentinels of 
the Sugar-Loaf and Santa Cruz. The passengers, with the excep- 
tion of myself, a Frenchman, and a Lombard, were either Bra- 
zilians or Portuguese. The captain, though a Baltimorean, had 
renounced his allegiance to the United States, and had been natu- 
ralized in Brazil. Night soon came on, and a heavy rolling sea 
compelled me to take to my berth, — not, however, before I had seen 
the Brazilians horribly sea-sick ; and all of them have such a bilious 
look that one would anticipate for them an unusual degree of suf- 
fering upon the " vasty deep." 

Early the next morning I could see from my cabin-window the 
mountains of the coast. The same magnificent scenery which so 
delights the traveller in the vicinity of Eio de Janeiro is reproduced 
all the way to Eio Grande do Sul, only the mountains vary in form, 
and in some places the palm-trees are more luxuriant. When 1 
came upon deck, we were just entering the beautiful Bay of Ubatuba. 
Two vessels were riding at anchor; and, for a small place, there is 
considerable trade in coffee, which is brought down from the 
interior and thence shipped to Eio. 

The village of Ubatuba stretches along a circular beach, and its 
bright houses are thrown out in prominent relief by the verdant 
mountains that lift themselves in the background. The storm had 
ceased ; and I rarely have witnessed a lovelier scene than was pre- 
sented by this Southern landscape. The captain, seeing the calm- 
ness of the water, had the good sense, at this juncture, to invite 
the passengers to a most substantial breakfast, for which each one 
on board had been fully prepared by his night's tribute paid to the 
angry waves. 

Every eye beamed with pleasure (doubtless the breakfast had had 
something to do with it) as the vision of beauty before us came in 
review. Good-nature and kindness is a predominant characteristic 
of the Brazilian; but even a churl would have been alegre under 
our present circumstances. 

20 



306 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

We only exchanged mails and took in oranges, (a hundred of the 
most luscious could be purchased for an English threepence,) and, 
bidding farewell to Ubatuba, in a short time we were sailing close 
to woody islands or the green shore. The sea was smooth, the 
passengers were all upon deck, and the best of feeling pervaded the 
whole company. Wishing to profit by the occasion, I descended 
to my trunk and brought up a Portuguese Bible, which I offered 
to a passenger on the conditions laid down in the rules of the 
American Bible Society. Only a few moments elapsed ere I had 
disposed of all the volumes of the Sacred Word which were at my 
convenience, and on every side my fellow-voyagers were reading 
with eagerness a book they had never seen before. From time to 
time I was called on for explanations, and I was renewedly con- 
vinced of the freedom from bigotry which is a distinguishing nega- 
tive quality of the Brazilians. An officer of the Imperial navy had 
just returned from the Brazilian squadron at the river Plate, and, 
in seeking the bosom of his family at Santos, wished the Scrip- 
tures as a present for his children, and, when purchasing them, 
he remarked, "Though I am a man forty-five years of age, I have 
never before seen A Santa Biblia in a language which I could 
understand." 

Ubatuba differs in a certain respect from a number of neigh- 
boring towns, inasmuch as it rejoices in one of the euphonious 
aboriginal terms which were found throughout the country at its 
discovery. Not many leagues from this village is the large town of 
Angra dos Beis and the island denominated Ilha Grande dos Magos, 
which names were given by Martin Affonso de Souza. Although 
several of these harbors and islands had been previously discovered 
and probably named, yet — owing to the circumstance that Souza 
became an actual settler, combined with the fact that in following 
the Roman calendar he flattered the peculiar prejudices of his 
countrymen — the names imposed by him have alone remained to 
posterity. The 6th day of January, designated in English as that of 
the Epiphany, is termed, in Portuguese, Dia dos Beis Magos, (Bay 
of the Kings or Royal Magi.) The island of S. Sebastian and the 
port of S. Yincente were named, in like manner, on the 20th and 
22d days of the same month. The Indian names of Brazilian 
towns are among some of the most flowing and fine-sounding 



Midshipman Wilberforce and the Mosquitos. 307 



found in any language : — as Itaparica, Pindamonhangaba, Inhomerim, 
Guaratingetd, Parahiba and its diminutive Parahibuna, &c, — the 
h in each case non est litem. 

It was only a few hours' run from Ubatuba to our next stopping- 
place. We were constantly passing one of the boldest and most 
picturesque coasts that I have ever seen. Near the island and the 
town of San Sebastian, (the latter on terra firma,) I was continually 
reminded of the banks of the Rhine and of the lake and mountain 
scenery of Switzerland, though here perpetual verdure crowns cliff 
and crag, and the valleys were covered with plantations of coffee 
and sugar, and the orange-groves were prodigal of their golden 
fruit. The shore was steep and high, and well-wooded promon- 
tories stood out with minute distinctness in the bright, pure atmo- 
sphere. The island of San Sebastian is only separated by a narrow 
strait from the mainland, and it seemed to me, as I gazed upon it, 
like one of the fabled Hesperides. The steep rocky sides of its 
mountain-ridge are interspersed with belts of forest, from whose 
thick-foliaged bosom cascades of Alpine magnitude dashed their 
foaming treasures hundreds of feet below. 

It was in a hamlet on this romantic island that Wilberforce — 
a rollicking, fun-loving Eng- 
lish midshipman — says he 
saw the traces of Portuguese 
hands in a neat white church 
which rose from the midst 
of mud houses. "The anti- 
quity of the building," he 
writes, " was not the sole 
proof of its origin. The pre- 
sence of a church is in itself 
sufficient to show whether 
Portuguese or Brazilians 
have founded the village. 
It is said that the first build- 
ing that Portuguese settlers 
erect is a church : the first 

that Brazilians build is a grog-shop." And then he significantly 
adds, "We order these things better in England, and build both at 




THE ROADSIDE VEND A. 




308 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the same time/' I cannot say that the remarks of Midshipman 
Wilberforce are altogether exact ; for it is a fact that the Brazilians 
already have too many churches for the priests, and also that they 
do commence the nucleus of their village by a venda, which not 
only serves as a drinking-house, but as a 
place for lodging and eating. The Brazilians 
are a temperate people, as I have already 
observed, and are not given to drunkenness 
as the Northern nations; therefore "grog- 
shop" is not the correct term to express the 
foundation of a Brazilian settlement. Reli- 
gion and the venda are not always insepa- 
rable; for you will frequently find a little 
cross erected near its entrance, and some- 
times an alms-box affixed to the door, on 
■'^"^SSB^J^f^ which is painted " white souls and black" 
the alms- box. lifting up from the flames of purgatory hands 

of supplication ; and hard must be the heart 
that can resist the piteous spectacle. 

The midshipman is, however, entirely just in his observations on 
mosquitos and the very vicious sand-flies called borruchudos. Both 
his indignation and poetry arise at the trouble they gave him; for 
he eloquently bursts forth in the following : — " Any one who should 
write an ode to Brazilian scenery [near San Sebastian] would 
probably begin, — 

" ' Ye mountains, on whose woody heights 
The greedy borruchudo bites ; 
Ye forests, in whose tangled mazes 
The dire mosquitos sting like blazes !' — 

and so on to the end of the canto. Things that would be poetical 
in themselves are sadly spoiled by the introduction of such utili- 
tarian adjuncts as mosquitos. Greedy animals ! I am ashamed 
of you. Cannot you once forego your dinner and feast your mind 
with the poetry of the landscape V 

San Sebastian is twelve or fourteen miles long, and of nearly 
equal width. It is well cultivated and somewhat populous. Like 
Ilha Grande, it was a rendezvous for vessels engaged in the slave- 



Santos. 309 

trade. Such craft had great facilities for landing their cargoes of 
human beings at these and contiguous points; and if they did not 
choose to go into the harbor of Eio to refit, they could be furnished 
at this place with the requisite papers for another voyage. For no 
other object was the vice-consulate of Portugal established in the 
villa opposite. 

The sun was setting as our little steamer issued from the Bay of 
S. Sebastian, and before daylight was gone we neared the Alcatra- 
zes, two rocky islands of curious shape, conspicuous objects well 
known to all travelled Paulistas. 

Before retiring to my cabin I had an interesting conversation 
with a Portuguese who was proud of his little native peninsular 
kingdom, and boasted of her great deeds and past prowess, but 
spoke not of her present glory. The Lombard passenger enter- 
tained me with sketches of the Milanese revolt of 1848, and with 
warlike chansons, in which the name of Carlo Alberto II Ee di 
Sardegna was ever prominent. 

The next morning we arrived at Santos, situated a few miles up 
a river of the same name, which is the chief port of the flourishing 
province of St. Paul's. Here I landed my two boxes intended for 
the interior, and which I hoped would reach their destination 
before I returned to Santos, so that I could ride swiftly after them 
and not be delayed as I had been in similar excursions in the rural 
part of the province of Eio de Janeiro. I had some difficulty with 
the custom-house; and no one but strangers who have gone 
through this experience in Brazil can imagine the various annoy- 
ances to which every species of goods is subjected. There are 
no objections to the books because they are Bibles, but you must 
pay duty (small, it is true) a second time upon them. 1 thought 
because I had paid duties once at Eio that that was sufficient; but 
here they have a provincial tariff from which no one is exempt. I 
had letters from Senator Yergueiro to his two sons, who have a 
mercantile house here, and also the father and the sons have im- 
mense plantations in the interior; and it was to one of these 
plantations that I determined to go, and, while doing good, be 
enabled to see for myself the condition of the thousand European 
colonists which the enterprising Yergueiros have under their 
charge. 



310 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Senhor Jose Yergueiro, the principal of the Santos house, (Ycr- 
gueiro & Filhos,) was absent, and his brother, the fourth son of 
the Senator, was indisposed. But at his order every kindness was 
shown me by the clerks of the establishment; and through one of 
them my books were soon liberated from the custom-house. I 
declined their invitation to dine at the Trapiche, for I had already 
accepted the kind offer of my Brazilian compagnons de voyage at 
the hotel of Senhor Francisco. Senhor F. was said to be a perfect 
polyglot; but I found, by trying him in three languages, that he 
only spoke a smattering of each. The dinner was plentiful and 
excellent. I found that the convivial qualities of the Brazilians 
were as remarkable as those of John Bull, — not that there was 
drinking to any excess, but they ate heartily, and cheered most 
lustily at every toast or sentiment, with which it seemed our feast 
was as plentifully provided as with substantial food and doces. The 
Brazilians are great toasters; and 1 have seen a table at which 
twenty or more persons were assembled, and each proposed at 
least one sentiment, while some proposed during the sitting the 
health of as many as six different individuals. Some of these 
toasts would be concluded by a song vociferated by the whole com- 
pany as loudly as if German students had been the performers. 

The company at Senhor Francisco's consisted of merchants, 
physicians, a number of Government civil officers, and one colonel 
of the regular army. Wine in abundance was placed upon the 
table; yet it was used in great moderation by those who did par- 
take of it, while others seemed to abstain from it altogether. In 
settling the bill, ($1 each,) not one of them would allow me to share 
a penny of the expense; and throughout the whole repast, it being 
known that I was a Protestant clergyman, they were mogt re- 
spectful in their bearing, and all approved of the work in which I 
was engaged. I have been thus particular in mentioning this little 
incident, because some writers and visitors in Brazil, but who cer- 
tainly have never seen beyond a ship-chandlery, hotel, or at 
furthest some coast-city, have complained that Brazilians are in- 
hospitable, selfish, and altogether distrustful of strangers. As to 
inhospitality, away from the great towns it cannot be predicated of 
them; and even in Eio and Bahia, the largest cities of Brazil, I 
have met with the very warmest welcomes from Brazilians whom 



Hospitality and Kindness. 311 

I had never seen until I handed them my letters of intioduction. 
Among the pleasantest memories of my life will be the recollection 
of the kind hospitality manifested towards me by Brazilians at the 
metropolis, where more than elsewhere coldness is said to abound. 
As to selfishness and distrust of strangers, they possess the one in 
common with human nature, and of the other they do not possess 
more than is manifested by Englishmen or Americans when ap- 
proached by the newly-arrived foreigner without letters of recom- 
mendation. 

From the hotel of Senhor Francisco we went on board of our 
steamer. That evening a knot of our passengers, together with 
the captain and his mate, sat up to a late hour conversing in regard 
to the demoralizing literature which floods the land from France. 
They listened with great attention to remarks which were in favor 
of laying the axe at the root of the tree ; and a corrupt religion 
was measured by the only true standard, — that great Eule of Faith 
given to us by God in His word. 

The next day our steamer did not leave Santos until noon, so that 
I had an opportunity of going again to the warehouse of Senhor 
Vergueiro & Filhos. I was glad to find that the youngest Yergueiro 
was able to be in his counting-room, though Senhor Jose had not 
yet returned from the interior. He regretted much that I could 
not then accept the hospitality of their house, stating that his 
father had written to them requesting that they would pay me 
every possible attention, but hoped that on my return from San 
Francisco do Sul I would give them a long visit. All this was said 
in a manner so unaffected and cordial as to preclude all idea 
of formality or insincerity. 

At twelve o'clock the "vapor" left Santos, and we were soon 
steaming down the river. 

Santos is situated upon the northern portion of the island of S. 
Vicente, which is detached from the continent merely by the two 
mouths of the Cubatao River. The principal stream affords en- 
trance at high-water to large vessels, and is usually called Rio de 
Santos up as far as that town. At its mouth, upon the northern 
bank, stands the fortress of S. Amaro. This relic of olden time is 
occupied by a handful of soldiers, whose principal employment is 
to go on board the vessels as they pass up and down, to serve as a 



312 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

guard against smuggling. The course of the river is winding and 
its bottom muddy. Its banks are low and covered with mangroves, 
so that the foreground is not very inviting; but from the wheel- 
house a fine prospect of back-country and distant mountains pre- 
sented themselves on the north. The captain pointed out the site 
of St. Yincent, — the first regularly-established colony in Brazil, 
llow Martin Affonso de Souza could have chosen this place in pre- 
ference to the present situation of Bio is indeed hard to account 
for, except on the ground that the Tamoyo Indians were too 
numerous around the Bay of Nictherohy. 

The sea becoming rough, I took to my old and sovereign remedy 
against nausea, — viz. : a good oerth, — and did not rise until I found 
that the sun was high above the mountains, and that we were enter- 
ing the intricate harbor of Paranagua. Before crossing the bar, we 
saw outside a Brazilian schooner tossing up and down at anchor. The 
captain, with his glass, perceived that it was one chartered by the 
Steam-Packet Company, and was loaded with coals from which he 
was to obtain his fuel for the remainder of the voyage. It was of 
the utmost importance, then, that the schooner should cross the bar. 
With the present wind it would be impossible. The steamer's 
head was put for the schooner. It was with difficulty that any 
one became aroused, and then the utmost indifference was mani- 
fested by the captain of the little sailing-vessel at a proposition 
which would have made an English or a Yankee skipper dance 
with joy, — i.e. to be towed in. His drawling reply was, " Se o 
Senhor quizer," (If the gentleman wishes it.) This was perfectly in 
accordance with the general want of energy which characterizes a 

certain class of Brazilians. The vessel was attached to the P , 

and we were soon over the bar, steering up the difficult channel. 

A number of letters which I wrote to a friend during this voyage 
were preserved and afterward returned to me; and I have thought 
it best from time to time to introduce portions of them which possess 
at least the interest of being penned amid the scenes which they 
describe. The following was written from the next port south of 
Paranagua. „ San Fbancisco do Sul> 

" Province of Santa Catharina. / 

"This is not that San Francisco of wonderful growth, of adven- 
turers, and of golden dreams. As to gold, there is none; as to 



Order of Exercises on the Steamer. # 313 

adventurers, only two runaway sailors; and as to rapid growth, 
that is reversed, for here there are plenty of houses to let, — plenty 
* hurrying [the only haste to be discovered] on to indistinct decay/ 

"But I will go back for a day or two in my journey. 

"I left Santos on the 15th. It is delightful to travel on a Bra- 
zilian steamer, provided that you are not in a hurry. They take 
things so easy: I mean both steamers and people. And let me say 
that, of all the travellers with whom I have ever voyaged, the Bra- 
zilians are the most good-natured and agreeable after you have 
made their acquaintance. They are very obliging, yet from time 
to time can display as much selfishness as other 'humans' on a 
vessel, — that little world in miniature, where all that is bad is easily 
brought to light. Pacienza is the motto of these steamers. When 
you arrive at a town, after having been ' terribly' pitched about 
and sea-sick, you may now count upon a good twenty-four or thirty- 
six hours on land. It is a great luxury. The passengers desert 
the vessel, (although good dinners are provided on shipboard,) and 
off' they rush to the hotels; or, in default of this, they seek the 
Casas de Pasto, and feast to such an extent that you would deem 
them half famished. 

"The 'order of exercises' on board the steamer at sea may be 
easily stated. Each morning at six o'clock the cabin-boy wakes 
you up by giving you a cup of coffee, (noir,) and thirty or forty 
minutes afterward a large bowl of mingau, (arrowroot, or maize- 
mush,) well sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, is placed on the 
table, and a strapping big fellow, fortified with a ladle, is ready to 
serve you with all the grace and celerity which appertains to the 
same kind of presiding genii that you meet with at the Faubourg 
du Temple in Paris. At ten o'clock a huge breakfast consisting of 
roast and boiled beef, pork, fresh fish, pirdo, (a dish of mandioca,) 
&c. &c, is placed before you. Fall to, help yourself, and your neigh- 
bors will do the same without any ritardo; and, when satisfied or 
fatigued with this operation, vary the business by imbibing the tea 
which the steward has just brought simmering in. Now mount 
the deck. If the sea is not heavy, pipes, cigars, and promenades 
are the next in the programme. The scenery on shore is my cigar; 
and up to the present time there has been no diminution of my 
enjoyment in this respect. If any thing, the mountains are still 



314 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



more fantastic and varied than at Rio, and the bays and islets are 
perfectly picturesque. The passengers are fall of pranks and jokes 
for an hour or so, and then they take a nap or read. I will venture 
to assert there never was before so much Bible-reading on board 
of a Brazilian vessel. On account of the warmth of the climate, 
each of these coast-steamers have, all around the upper deck, little 
cabins, or, more properly, respectable dog-houses, with a sliding- 
door. Although there are comfortable berths below, these upper 
apartments are the choicest to be had; for, night or day, you are 
always sure of fresh, pure air. My fellow-passengers were stretched 
around in these little cabins with the sliding-doors pushed back, and 




VIEW OF PARANAGUA. 



I thus had an opportunity of seeing them as I walked the deck. 
I was often called upon to explain the Scriptures, and rejoiced in 
the opportunity of scattering the seed, which, though sown in ap- 



The " Cormorant" and the Slavers. 315 

parently unpropitious ground, the Master can cause to spring up 
an hundredfold. 

" We arrived at Paranagua on the Saturday morning after leav- 
ing Rio, and now I can say that I have been in the newest Bra- 
zilian province, — that of Parana. The entrance of the bay is a 
perfect puzzle, and the mountains beyond the city are both lofty 
and picturesque. While the sun was streaming down upon the 
deck of our steamer, I took a rough sketch of a portion of the 
outer harbor, which I herewith enclose to you, premising the im- 
possibility to do justice to this whole coast without the power of a 
Constable, a Turner, or a Calame. 

" Paranagua was formerly a celebrated rendezvous for scoundrels 
of all nations engaged in the slave-trade; and when the British 
Government, a few years ago, ordered its cruisers to make a 
vigorous demonstration on the Brazilian coast, the < Cormorant/ 
of the Royal Navy, steamed up these sinuosities, entered the har- 
bor, and cut out a whole nest of slavers. The fort was well situated 
near the bar, and H. B. M. ' Cormorant' must pass that point. After 
a slight resistance before yielding their vessels, the pirate captains 
and crews ran around by land to the fort and manned the guns, 
anxiously awaiting the ' Cormorant' as she should proceed to sea, 
dragging her trophies after her. Proudly she again ploughed 
through the winding approach to the ocean. The guns of the fort 
were well pointed, but H. B. M. ' Cormorant' proved to be as much 
of a sagacious fox as a rapacious bird, for, perceiving the trap laid 
for her, she prepared a most ' artful dodge.' Her crew very adroitly 
placed the largest slaver between herself (the man-of-war) and the 
fort, and then onward steamed the 'Cormorant.' Bang went the 
cannon of the fortress: the balls touched not the bird of prey; but, 
in the twinkling of an eye, she slipped beyond the slaver, discharged 
the heavy guns from her bows, and the dislodged cannon of the fort 
told how capital had been the aim of H. B.M.'s gunners. The 
slavers, however, prepared to respond; but the discreet 'Cormorant' 
cunningly retired behind the big vessel, though but for an instant. 
She sailed once more onward, and discharged her farewell shot with 
such telling effect upon the old fort that the inmates made no 
further attempt to hinder the 'Cormorant,' which soon gained the 
open sea, and in a few moments, by skilful scuttling, put the slave- 



316 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

vessels beyond the reach of o trafico, as you know the Brazilians 
call the accursed slave-trade. 

"Most of our passengers went ashore here, many of them bound 
for Curitiba, the capital of this new province. Their great kind- 
ness 1 shall not soon forget ; and 1 am happy to think that they 
will carry the Bible, perhaps for the first time, where probably 
few have ever seen the records of salvation. 

"I also went ashore. Paranagua is a pretty and a clean town, — 
a little in decay I thought at first ; but a second inspection told me 
that I had not done justice to the only port of Parana. This town 
contains about three thousand inhabitants, and annually exports 
mate to the amount of one million of dollars. Mate is the dried 
leaves and young stems of a species of oak which is gathered 
in the interior and brought down in raw-hide cases, exceedingly 
tightly packed, and is hence shipped for the Spanish-American 
Bepublics. 

"I found a number of large wholesale stores doing a good busi- 
ness with those who brought hither the products of the back- 
country. One of these merchants invited me to go to the house 
of his brother for the purpose of examining a map of the province, 
which I had in vain sought for in the metropolis, the boundaries 
not having as yet been definitely fixed. Fancy my feelings when, 
after threading a number of streets, I entered a house where a 
recent floor-scrubbing made every thing appear damp, and a large 
map was brought forth which seemed to have imbibed as much of 
humidity as possible without being wet ; and, though it was perfect 
in every part save one, that part was just what I wished to see, — 
viz. : the boundary between Parana and S. Paulo. Moisture, mil- 
dew, and mice had carefully eradicated every design of the engineer 
and every scratch of the engraver, so that I was left to return, 
mourning over the mutability of maps and the carelessness of man 
ii. Paranagua. 

r 'In one of the streets the ruins of a church attracted my atten- 
tion j and I was informed that it was an edifice nearly completed 
by the Jesuits when they were expelled. You can scarcely travel 
a hundred miles along the Brazilian sea-coast (which stretches, 
with its bays and inlets, nearly four thousand miles) without 
encountering, in some rich valley or upon some picturesque emi- 



The .Russians and the Prima Donna. 317 

nence, the immense churches, chapels, and convents of this order, 
whose members entered Brazil when its prosperity was at its 
height and when its ambition was hindered by no external circum- 
stances. I have been more surprised at the hugeness of some of 
the conventual edifices in Brazil than at any thing of the kind I 
have ever seen in France, Germany, or Italy. 

" As the little canoe in which we went from the steamer to the 
town neared the inner harbor, where vessels were moored close to 
the shore, I perceived two which looked remarkably desolate and 
forlorn. They were Eussian vessels which were found near this 
port at the commencement of hostilities, and, fearing to be nabbed 
by some H.B.M. ' Bulldog/ 'Grabber/ or 'Jowler/ slid into this 
out-of-the-way place. It appears very singular to see these 
Northern birds of the ocean clipped of their wings here. They are 
truly out of place j for their yards are taken off, the topmasts are 
down, and, with their stiff hulks, awnings of canvas in the house- 
roof style, and with their general want of rigging, they seem like 
the 'Fury' and 'Hecla' in their Greenland clothes, or rather as 
if the winter-bound Bay of Archangel were their resting-place, and 
it and the surrounding shores were suddenly clad by the 'Hand 
divine' with the warmth and flowers and verdure of this perpetual- 
summer land. 

"When, on my return, I reached the steamer, I found that a 
lady whose peculiar taste in dress had attracted the attention of 
all on board was attended by a number of 'spruce gentlemen' 
whose well-trimmed moustaches and highly-polished patent-leather 
shoes indicated that they belonged to a class very different from 
the poncho-clad passengers bound to Curitiba and the Sertoes. 1\ 
was not long before I ascertained that the lady in question was the 
'bright particular star' of a theatrical company then travelling the 
provinces, and that the gentlemen were from the same establish- 
ment, they having arrived some days previous to their prima 
donna assoluta. 

"The passengers who were destined for Santa Catharina re- 
mained that night upon the steamer j but the next day, (Sunday,) 
at an early hour, all left, with the exception of myself, to pass the 
hours of sacred time at Paranagua, where a grand festa was to take 
place in honor of some saint. One of the greatest inducements was 



318 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

to attend the theatrical performances of the strolling actors, who 
were to give dignity and honor to the occasion by stupid and 
vulgar comedies. You will think, perhaps, 'What is the use of 
disseminating the word of God among such a people ?' I will 
reply, 'Be not weary in well-doing;' and it is God's own word. 
My duty is to scatter it far and wide, to preach it by precept 
whenever I can, and by example always, and then leave the rest 
to Him. I have already found more than one notable instance in 
Brazil, where a Bible, left under circumstances just as untoward, 
has produced its fruits. 

"I spent my day on board, but had very little quiet while the 
steamer was receiving her cargo of coals from the schooner along- 
side, from which — in some manner very unaccountable to the 
skipper — there were many tons short. I had all to myself, 
a large table well spread with viands; but, being of a social 
nature, I invited the engineer (a common-sense and wide-awake 
fellow of the Manchester machine-shop stripe) and the Brazilian 
second mate to join me. I find out from the Englishman that 
there are many of his countrymen and their children at the Saude, 
[a division of the municipality of Eio de Janeiro,] uncared-for 
either morally or intellectually. They are too far from the Eng- 
lish church to attend service : but this plea of distance perhaps is 
only put forward to hide the real one of indifference. Now, can 
you not put something in train for them ? They are workmen, 
and he says that both adults and children are not doing what they 
ought, one class running to cachaca and the other to ignorance, and 
'Sunday is no Sunday.' Next year there are a thousand English 
and Irish laborers coming out for the Pedro Segundo Railway, and, 

on account of the distance and the pulpit-duties of Mr. , a 

clergyman, he cannot have facilities for attending to their minds 
or souls. 

[In regard to the matter here referred to, some English ladies 
and an American theological student (then on a visit to Brazil) 
took it up, and interested both English and American merchants 
in the plan. They furnished the means, and, just as all was well 
organized, a competent man was found in an English mate, then 
on his homeward vo} T age from Australia, and intending to devote 
the remainder of his days to God in some other employment than 



Letters of Introduction. 319 

that of following the ocean, and was persuaded to take charge of 
the new school, which in a short time was in full operation, and 
disseminating its ameliorating influences upon both parents and 
children.] This school in 1865 is still a great success. 

"The next day (Monday) we left Paranagua. After a fine run 
of eight hours along a coast abounding in repetitions of Corco- 
vados and Peaks of Tijuca, we entered the safe Bay of San Fran- 
cisco do Sul. 

"Letters of introduction are great things in Brazil. They have 
smoothed the way for me everywhere previous to arriving at this 
port, and I here find no exception to the general rule expressed 
in the line above. Mr. Y., the agent of the steamer, received me 
very kindly, and my boxes were soon despatched and landed upon 
the beach, which was filled with fishermen, mulatto women, half- 
naked children, and an indescribable lot of sundries in the shape 
of timber, rice spread out to dry, canoes drawn up, &c. &c. In 
another hour the steamer had rounded the promontory, and was 
soon out of sight on its way to Desterro. So, for the present, I 
will say, — Adeos." 

Note for 1879. — The Saude School, referred to in this chapter, lias been the 
means of great good at Rio; and, though its chief patroness, Mrs. Jane S. D. Gar- 
rett, has returned to England, thus leaving a void not easily filled, it steadily 
accomplished its good work. An acknowledgment for hospitality received is here 
due Mrs. Garrett, the recollection of whose home in the Larangeiras will long be 
one of the " pleasures of memory." The junior author, during his visits in various 
years, received in Rio much kindness from the Swiss family of Mr. Gustave Lutz, 
and in the American homes of Mr. George N. Davis, Mr. Henry E. Milford, and 
Mr. John Hayes. It gives him pleasure also to recognize the courtesies of Admiral 
Tamandare, Senhora Andrade e Pinto, (of the Rua St. Ignacio,.) the Admiral 
Lamare, the Visconde de Maua, the Baron of Adarahy, and Sr. Fernando Roche. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE PKOVINCE OF PARANA — MESSAGE OF ITS FIRST PRESIDENT — MATE, OR PARA- 
GUAY TEA. — ITS CULTURE AND PREPARATION — GROWS IN NORTH CAROLINA— SAN 
FRANCISCO DO SUL— EXPECTATIONS NOT FULFILLED— CANOE-VOYAGE — MY COM- 
PANIONS NOT WHOLLY CARNIVOROUS — A TRAVELLED TRUNK— THE TOLLING-BELL 
BIRD — ARRIVAL AT JOINVILLE — A NEW SETTLEMENT — CIRCULAR ON EMIGRATION 
TO BRAZIL. 

The province of Parana, whose chief port, Paranagua, I had 
just left, merits a still further mention. It commenced its full 
provincial career about the year 1853, though for a number of 
years previously projects had been entertained in the General 
Assembly at Rio to set off the comarca of Curitiba from San Paulo 
as a distinct province. As to its limits, they are essentially those 
of the old district of Curitiba. Its first President, Zacarias de 
Goes e Vasconcellos, was Minister of Marine in 1852-53, and was 
one of the instances so frequent in Brazil of a young man who, 
rising rapidly by his talents, attains the highest positions of State. 
He was probably the youngest person ever called to take a seat in 
the Imperial Cabinet, where by his eloquence and by his readiness 
at response (for the ministers are interpellated as in England, 
France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal) he rose to an eminent place 
among the statesmen of Brazil. 

In 1854, he opened for the first time the Provincial Assembly of 
Parana, and his Relatorios (messages) of that 3^ear and the follow- 
ing, now both before me, display ability and research. 

He placed the population at 62,000, only one-sixth of which is 
composed of slaves ; and, if his statistics be correct, the province of 
Parana must enjo}^ a salubrity bej'ond any other portion of the 
world, — the births exceeding the deaths between two and three 
hundred per cent. [In 1878, the census gives 127,000 inhabitants.] 

He enforced upon the legislators the duty of making the com- 
mon-school education far more obligatory than it is. " Primary 
320 



Education and Paraguay Tea. 321 

instruction," he urged, "is more than a mere right of the child, a 
duty discharged toward him; it is a rigorous obligation. It is 
thus that you (the representatives) should consider and dispose of 
the subject in the legislation of the new province. 

"The people oblige themselves to be vaccinated. They respond 
to this without fail, for vaccination is a preservative from fatal 
pestilence. 

"Now, primary instruction is, so to speak, a moral vaccine, which 
preserves the people from that worst of pestilences, — ignorance, — 
from those crude notions which bring man to the level of the brute, 
and which change him into the fit and facile instrument for rob- 
bery, assassination, revolution, and, in fine, for all evil. 

"Primary education is more: it is a kind of baptism with which 
man is regenerated from the dark ignorance in which he is born, 
and truly effects his entrance into civil society and into the enjoy- 
ment of those rights and privileges which are his heritage." 

When we consider what are the views of Eoman Catholics in re- 
gard to baptism, we can see the force of the remarks of Senhor 
Zacarias. 

The President did not merely confine his attention to the early 
training of the youth of his provincial charge, but his remarks in 
reference to the various branches of agriculture show him to be 
a man of enlarged views, and that he was as ready to combat indo- 
lence as ignorance. He alluded to the fact that wheat was for- 
merly not only an article of cultivation in the fertile comarca of 
Curitiba, but that it was exported. This branch of agriculture is 
now almost abandoned, and, according to his statements, because a 
large portion of the population, eschewing the labor required in the 
production of the cereals, rush to the virgin forests, and there, 
stripping the evergreen leaves and the tender branches of the Hex 
Paraguayensis, easily convert them into the popular South American 
beverage known as the yerba mate or herva Paraguaya, and thus 
amass fortunes or obtain a livelihood without the intervention of 
persevering industry or great exertion. 

Large quantities of this kind of tea are annually exported from 
the province of Parana. Senhor Zacarias would not have the tea- 
bearing Ilex uprooted to produce the same effect as the vigorous 

Marquis de Pombal brought about by the destruction, in the last 

21 



322 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

century, of the vineyards of Portugal; but he wishes to control its 
gathering, to moderate the inclinations and the causes that push 
the people into this branch of labor for a few months and then 
leave them indolent for the remainder of the year. 

The mate of Paraguay, doubtless from prejudice, is considered 
superior in quality to that of Parana; but the inhabitants of the 
interior neighboring Spanish provinces prefer the former to the 
latter, as they are accustomed to use the beverage without sugar; 
while in the cities of Buenos Ayres and Montevideo the former is 
the favorite, and is almost always sweetened before consumption. 

In the interior of the province of San Paulo, after my visit to 
Santa Catharina, I met with an American physician, a man of 
great scientific tastes and acquirements, who has taken up his 
residence in South America for the purpose of research in his 
favorite study of botany. In the course of many interesting con- 
versations with him in regard to the various vegetable riches and 
wonders of the surrounding regions, I was not a little pleased to 
find that he was perfectly acquainted with the mode of prepara- 
tion, as well as the class and family, of the plant in question. 
Mate, as I have already mentioned, is the name of the prepared 
article of the tree or shrub which is commonly known to botanists 
as the Ilex Paraguay ens is. It is classified by Yon Martius as be- 
longing to the Bhamnee family, and he gives it the scientific name 
of Cassine Gongonha. The Spaniards usually denominate it Yerba 
de Paraguay, or mate. 

While in Paranagua, I observed many raw-hide cases which the 
blacks were unloading from mules or conveying to the ships riding 
at anchor in the beautiful bay. Upon inquiry, I learned that these 
packages, weighing about one hundred and twenty pounds each, 
consisted of mate. This substance, so little known out of South 
America, forms truly the principal refreshing beverage of the 
Spanish Americans south of the Equator, and millions of dollars are 
annually expended in Buenos Ayres, Bolivia, Peru, and Chili in its 
consumption. This town of Paranagua, containing about three 
thousand inhabitants, exports every year nearly a million of dollars' 
worth of mate. 

In Brazil and in Paraguay it can be gathered during the whole 
year. Parties go into the forest, or places where it abounds, and 



Paraguay Tea in North Carolina. 323 

break off the branches with the leaves. A process of kiln-drying is 
resorted to in the woods, and afterward the branches and leaves are 
transported to some rude mill, and there they are by water-power 
pounded in mortars. 

The substance, after this operation, is almost a powder, though 
small steins denuded of their bark are always permitted to remain. 
By this simple process the mate is prepared for market. Its pre- 
paration for drinking is equally simple. A small quantity of the 
leaf, either with or without sugar, is placed in a common bowl, upon 
which cold water is poured. After standing a short time, boiling 
water is added, and it is at once ready for use. Americans who 
have visited Buenos Ayres or Montevideo may remember to have 
seen, on a fine summer evening, the denizens of that portion of the 
world engaged in sipping, through long tubes inserted into highly- 
ornamented cocoanut bowls, a liquid which, though not so palata- 
ble as iced juleps, is certainly far less harmful. These citizens of 
Montevideo and Buenos Ayres were enjoying with their bombilhas 
a refreshing draught of mate. It must be imbibed through a tube, 
on account of the particles of leaf and stem which float upon the 
surface of the liquid. This tube has a fine globular strainer at 
the end. 

Great virtues are ascribed to this tea. It supplies the place of 
meat and drink. Indians who have been laboring at the oar all 
day feel immediately refreshed by a cup of the herb mixed simply 
with river-water. In Chili and Peru the people believe that they 
could not exist without it, and many persons take it every hour 
of the day. Its use was learned from the natives; but, having been 
adopted, it spread among the Spaniards and Portuguese, until the 
demand became so great as to render the herb of Paraguay almost 
as fatal to the Indians of this part of America as mines and pearl- 
fisheries had been elsewhere. 

It grows wild, and never has been successfully cultivated, although 
attempts were made b}' the Jesuits of Paraguay to transplant it from 
the forests to their plantations. During the Paragua} 7 war, 1865-70, 
the production of mate and its commerce increased very rapidly in 
Brazil. The producers at the mills made more than a hundred per 
cent clear profit, and soon began to adulterate it with, as Mr. Bigg- 
Wither says, " worthless rubbish," thus greatly injuring the trade. 



324 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

But that which astonished me most in the doctor's conversation 
was the statement that a shrub similar to the Ilex Paraguayensis 
was indigenous to the United States, ^and that a decoction of its 
leaves and branches was actually used as a beverage in the region 
where it grew. 

His life had been full of adventure in every portion of the globe; 
and, when he was a younger man, he roamed over each Southern 
and Western State, hunting for the weed which was vulgarly sup- 
posed to cause the " milk-sickness." Although he did not find the 
cause of that disease, which has so damaged many a speculation in 
Western towns and villages, yet he made the acquaintance of a 
little tree in North Carolina, from the leaves of which many of 
the country -people of the old North State "make tea." If I re- 
member rightly, he informed me that it was the Ilex euponia; but 
scientific readers must not hold me responsible for this name, as 
my note-book may probably mislead me. A few years afterward, 

Dr. was in this, the most glorious field for a botanist in the 

world, — this Southern Brazil, whose magnificent flora has been the 
wild delight of every favored follower of Linnaeus who has been 
permitted to enter it. In the course of his rambles he encountered 
the Ilex Paraguayensis, and immediately saluted it as his old ac- 
quaintance (under features but little different) of North Carolina. 
Some months elapsed, and he visited Paranagua; and he was almost 
as much surprised at another discovery, which was not, however, 
in the botanical line. He found, in this out-of-the-way part of 
Brazil, an American woman engaged in the delightful art of 
preparing feijoes and toucinho (pork and beans) for natives and 
foreigners who might patronize her establishment. In conversa- 
tion with Dr. in regard to the mate^he exclaimed, "Why, 

doctor, this is the same truck we use in Caroliner to make tea." 
Here was a most striking confirmation of the true conclusion 
of science. The yapon of the Carolinas is not unlike mate. 

Now, if this tree or bash really abounds in North Carolina, why 
may not the enterprise of some of her citizens add to the exports 
(laid down in every geography as tar, tobacco, turpentine, and 
lumber) mate? Brazil and Paraguay are reaping their millions 
from a shrub which grows spontaneously, and the subject is really 
worth investigation in the United States. 



San Francisco do Sul. 325 

Beturning from the new province of Parana, attention will be 
now directed to the province of Santa Catharina. 

San Francisco is an ancient town which has evidently seen better 
days. The arrival of a stranger with such a peculiar cargo as 
mine created quite a sensation in the usually-stagnant society of 
this northern portion of the province of Santa Catharina. All the 
idlers, gossipers, men of business, and even the Padre, came to see 
the new books. The priest found no objection to them, and two 
hours had not elapsed before they were all disposed of, and I made 
my arrangements to ascend the river San Francisco do Sul to the 
German and French colonies founded on the lands once belonging 
to the Prince de Joinville. 

In the mean time, with Mr. V. and two new acquaintances, both 
Germans, 1 strolled around the town, which is finely situated 
on an island separated from the mainland only by a very small 
stream. Before us stretched a bay three miles in width and six in 
length. It is well protected from the ocean, and in it is discharged 
the river San Francisco do Sul, which flows from the mountains 
that rear their green summits far in the distance. That lofty ridge, 
in its highest elevation, is more than four thousand feet above the 
level of the sea, and from its inland base to the rich plain where 
Curitiba is situated there is a gradual ascent of twenty miles. 
With an energetic people, this district — which in regard to fertility 
and climate is one of the finest in the world — would bloom with a 
cultivation not surpassed by the rich fields of Lombardy or the 
model farms of Midlothian. 

Great hopes were entertained at the beginning of this century 
that San Francisco do Sul would become a flourishing mart, on 
account of the road which would open the high plains to the com- 
merce of the bay. Furthermore, there was great activity at that 
time, the chief occupation of the inhabitants consisting in ship- 
building and in the cutting of timber. Yessels of large dimensions 
were formerly built here, as well as coasters, at the order of mer- 
chants from Eio, Bahia, and Pernambuco. The wood used was so 
strong, holding the iron so firmly, that ships built of it were of the 
most durable quality, and were in greater esteem with the Portu- 
guese and Spaniards than those built in Europe. In 1808, Mr. 
Mawe, one of the earliest English voyagers in Brazil, wrote that, 



326 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

on account of its ship-building, -the harbor of San Francisco do 
Sul is likely to become of considerable value to Brazil; and if it 
be connected with Curitiba, the cattle of which have been found 
superior to those of Eio Grande, there is every probability that at 
no distant day the Portuguese navy will touch here to be supplied 
with salt provisions.'' 

As I looked upon the silent streets of San Francisco, — as I be- 
held its bay innocent of any vessel except the smallest coasters, 
and its once-busy shipyards containing but two small mandioca 
sloops upon the stocks, — I thought how wide a difference there was 
between the reality of the present and the speculations of half 
a century ago in regard to the commercial activity and future 
growth of the town, situated upon the waters of Babitonga, by 
which name the natives called the bay. It was thought that the 
establishment of a colony of Europeans in the vicinity of the de- 
caying town would resuscitate it; but thus far there has been no 
such result, and I fear that many a year will elapse before this 
can be accomplished. 

I determined to start for the colony at an early hour the next 
morning, and to this end Mr. T. kindly sought for a canoe belong- 
ing to a gigantic slave who rejoiced in the appropriate name of 
Jose Grande. After nightfall the African made his appearance, 
and it was settled that we should commence our trip at three and 
a half o'clock in the morning. 

31r. V. regretted that the circumstance of his boarding prevented 
his offering me his hospitality, but recommended me to a hotel, or, 
more properly speaking, a regular country-inn, which had just 
been opened by a German from the colony of Donna Francisca. 
My experience in that establishment was at the time detailed in a 
letter to a friend at Ei c — 

••Herr Sneider, mine host, and all his family, spoke scarcely 
any thing but German, and as much of English and Portuguese 
as can be compressed into ' yes' and ' Sim, Senhor/ By-the-way, 
I have picked up a certain quantum of that same jaw-breaking 
language of Goethe and Schiller, which I have neglected since my 
university days for the tongues of Southern Europe. My supper 
perfectly German; for it closed with beer, which, in default of 
barley, had been made from rice, that abounds in this vicinity. 



Herr Sneider's Inn. 327 

Having finished my repast, I gave orders that, as they had pre- 
pared supper enough for three men, the remainder should be 
arranged for my breakfast in the canoe, as it would be entirely 
too early to partake of that meal before embarking. 

"We then had a mutual-instruction society, — an exchange of Eng- 
lish and German. How many children there were I cannot say; 
but there was any quantity of blooming fresh frauleins from nine- 
teen years and downward, together with a number of healthy, rosy 
boys. It had been so long since I had looked upon blue-eyed and 
fair-haired children that they were quite a curiosity. Having 
occasion to see Mr. Y. before retiring, I said to them, < I go now to 
Mr. V.'s: when I return, I wish to have a large room and a good 
clean bed/ A patron of the inn informed me that I should be 
thus accommodated in every particular. 

" When I again entered Herr Sneider's, I was told that my room 
was ready, and, upon my signifying my intention to go to bed, the 
whole family, — Herr S., Frau S., Frauleins S., and the boys, — to my 
astonishment, followed me to the apartment, which proceeding I 
did not fancy, because it did not seem quite convenable, taking into 
view the feminine portion of the procession. I, however, concluded 
to be led to my quarters, of which I entertained the highest ex- 
pectations. These expectations were realized so far as the size of 
the chamber was concerned ; but, unfortunately, mine was not the 
only bed in it, for there were four or five others, filled with snoring 
occupants. I determined to be gracious and make no complaint, 
for assuredly my clean sheets would make up for a little too much 
of society. So, pulling down the supposed coverlet, I found that it 
was a feather-bed for a regular Prussian winter. These Germans, 
when they left Fatherland, could conceive of no country where 
winter and snow could not even be exotic. I discovered also that, 
instead of the good, healthy, and hard Brazilian mattress, there 
was a second huge feather-bed ; and I must thrust myself between 
these. When my eyes got beyond the first, I found my clean 
sheets to be of the color of the dirty Minas cotton which so plentifully 
(or scantily, as the case may be) clothes the slaves throughout the 
Empire. A closer inspection informed me that they had seen 
whiter days, and had also made the acquaintance of many other 
lodgers, which fact I roundly asserted, and to which they partly 



328 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

assented. I, however, resolved to make the best of it, when they 
would let me, — for they hung around as if they would never give 
me the opportunity of going to rest. A young German ship- 
chandler had his bed in the same room, and, without ceremony, 
commenced to divest himself before the company preparatory to 
sleep. This I could hardly do, and seated myself and began to 
read. Finally the family left me, with many schlafen Sie wohl. 
Having read as long as I wished, I determined to enter my bed, 
fortified with a pair of pantaloons, (I had not forgotten the 
sheets,) which after a time, proving rather uncomfortable with 
feather-beds, I threw to one side. But this operation caused 
the young ship-chandler much concern; for, hearing me moving 
around in the dark, and supposing me' ill, he screamed for the 
family, and the scene which ensued is indescribable with pen : 
only the pencil of Eembrandt could depict the depth of shadow 
and the rich chiaro-oscuro. and that of Teniers the ruddy, 
jolly features of the group of young Germans thus aroused 
to see what was the matter with the American, who by this 
time was snugly ensconced in his bed and almost bursting with 
laughter. 

"I slept badly, and at half-past three o'clock heard the pon- 
derous step of Jose Grande. Following him through the deep 
gloom that hung around, we (for I had given a bright German lad 
permission to go with me) entered the canoe, which was soon 
shoved from the shore, and were propelled by Jose toward Donna 
Francisca. Young Germany and myself lay down in the bottom 
of the narrow 'dug-out.' 

"The morning was dark and drizzly, and a feeling of loneliness 
crept over me as I lay listening to the pattering raindrops and the 
dripping oar disturbing the oppressive silence. I thought of those 
so dear to me, but who now were separated from me by thousands 
of miles of ocean ; but I was less lonely when I breathed a prayer 
for them and felt in my heart the ever-cheering sentiment of 
poor Pringle : — 

" 'A still small voice comes through the wild, 
(Like a father consoling his fretful child,) 
Which banishes bitterness, wrath, and fear, — 
Saying, "Man is distant, but God is near!" ' 



A Travelled Trunk. 329 

"I tried to sleep, but it was impossible; so, after three hours, I 
said to Jose, ' We will breakfast/ On opening the budget, I found 
two plates, four pieces of meat, and — nothing else, — not even a knife 
and fork ; but, as I am neither a lion, a vulture, nor even a Guacho 
of Corrientes, I could not breakfast on flesh alone. The rain had 
now ceased, and I proposed to Jose to land and to purchase some- 
thing from one of the farm-houses on shore. 'Nao tern nada, senhor,' 
('They have nothing,') was Jose's sage reply. Nevertheless, at my 
request, he put into a pretty cove at the foot of a mountain, and 
sallied forth for a bargain. He soon returned, accompanied by a 
sickly-looking boy, bringing oranges, bananas, and enough farinha 
for four men. Young Germany and myself fell to work while 
Jose's strong arm was sending us over the glassy waters. At Eio 
de Janeiro I had often looked with admiration upon the slaves in 
the boats stuffing and throwing farinha into their mouths; but I 
never then dreamed that I should employ my digits for the same 
purposes. I must admit, however, that there was neither grace- 
fulness nor dexterity on my part; for my face became powdered 
with the effort to 'pitch in' the farinha d la Brazilienne. We had 
one other compagnon de voyage, but not an eating one. Faithful old 
trunk ! What sketches thou mightest give of Europe, America, 
(North and South,) and of the African Isles ! — what scenes thou hast 
witnessed in three zones, on the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, 
in the Straits of Majellan and on the Isthmus of Panama, in the 
Mexican Gulf, and, lastly, on the Eio San Francisco do Sul ! Each 
time that I open thee, and see there imprinted e W. S. Chase, 
trunk and harness maker, Providence, E.I.,' my thoughts run 
over the past, and I recall the bright summer-day that I bought 
thee, when on the eve of my first voyage l over the seas and 
far away.' Thou callest up a host of memories, — 

' the fond recollections of former years, — 
And the shadows of things that have long since fled 
Flit over the brain like the ghosts of the dead.' 

"Speaking of sketches, I send you one which I took of myself 
and fellow-voyagers. They are after (a very long way, indeed) 
a compound of Gainsborough and Turner, with a slight addition 
of Wilkie and Kenny Meadows thrown in " 



330 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The river became narrower, and every moment some large 
aquatic bird would be startled by our voices or by the dash of the 
oar. Now it would be a beautiful white ibis, then a blue heron or 
a band of dancing cranes. From the mangrove-bushes and the 




SCENDING THE RIO S. FRANCISCO DO S U L. 



more distant woods we could hear the sometimes harsh and some- 
times musically-solemn sound of the uruponga, or tolling-bell bird, 
making the air resonant with its peculiar and solitary note. I had 
listened again and again to these birds in my journeys in different 
parts of Brazil, but I never had the good fortune to see but one, 
and that was in the province of San Paulo. The sound which the 
uruponga (what a sweet aboriginal onomatope !) sends forth varies 
little, but it can always be said to be metallic. To hear it from 
afar, it is not unlike the tolling of a bell ; but, when distance does 
not mellow the cadence, it is more like striking an anvil or the 
filing of a large piece of iron. To listen to it in a Brazilian forest 
at mid-day, ringing forth its mournful knell when every other 
songster is mute, powerfully disposes one 

; 'To musing and dark melancholy." 

Wallace says, in his account of the Amazonian regions, "We 
had the good fortune one day to fall in with a small flock of 



The Tolling-Bell Bird. 



331 




URUPONGA, OR 
TOLLING-BELL BIRO. 



the rare and curious bell-bird, (Casmarhynchos carunculata,) but 

they were on a very thick, lofty tree, and took flight before we 

could get a shot at them. Though it was about four miles off in 

the forest, we went again the next day, and found them feeding on 

the same tree, but had no better success. On the third day we 

went to the same spot, but from that time saw them no more. 

The bird is of a pure white color, the size 

of a blackbird, has a broad bill, and feeds 

on fruits. From the base of the bill above 

grows a fleshy tubercle, two or three 

inches long and as thick as a quill, sparingly 

clothed with minute feathers : it is quite 

lax, and hangs down on one side of the 

bird's head. The bird is remarkable for 

its loud, clear, ringing note, — like a bell, — 

which it utters at mid-day, when most other birds are silent. " 

Waterton, in his wanderings in Demerara, often alludes to the 
campanero, (uruponga.) In one passage he says, "It never fails to 
attract the attention of the 
passenger : at a distance 
of nearly three miles you 
may hear this snow-white 
bird tolling every four or 
five minutes, like the dis- 
tant convent-bell. From 
six to nine a.m. the forests 
resound with the mingled 
strains of the feathered 
race; after this they gra- 
dually die away. From 
eleven to three all nature 
is hushed in midnight 
silence, and scarce a note 
is heard saving that of the 
campanero. " 

No bird has been more 
misrepresented by artists than the uruponga. The mistake has 
been in copying stuffed specimens. The accompanying illustration 




332 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

is one of many that represents the uruponga with a stiff horn in 
the unicorn style. The body is well enough, but the rhinoceros- 
appendage is utterly at variance with nature. The little engraving 
is a correct likeness of this singular bird, whose small, flexible, and 
drooping appendage is very similar to that which is a part and 
parcel of every turkeycock. 

I was struck by the fact that, though the aquatic birds were at 
first startled by us, they did not seem to have much fear. They 
flapped their great wings and moved slowly from us a few paces, 
and then speedily resumed their former position. 

On, on sped our canoe under the sturdy strokes of Jose. The 
scenery was still more striking and beautiful. A background of 
high mountains was prefaced by gentle eminences and by a woody 
margin of bright-green trees. Even the tall African, whom no 
one would have suspected of a taste for these glorious views, ex- 
claimed, from time to time, U E muito bonito, senhor!" ("It is very 
beautiful, sir.") By the way, Jose gave me his idea of Protestants, 
— viz. : people who were not baptized, and were destined to 
inferno. 

After some hours' rowing, the river became exceedingly narrow, 
so that the trees, with their rich parasites, completely overarched 
us. This was near the new village of Joinville, in the colony of 
Donna Francisca. "We jumped ashore, tied our canoe to the stump 
of a recently-fallen tree, and tramped over — or, rather, through — a 
road which was like a sponge soaked with water. Here, indeed, 
was the beginning of a new town in the wilderness, — houses stuck 
down in the woods, and plenty of mud and children : but for the 
difference of the flora, I would have believed myself beyond the 
Missouri, on the borders of Kansas. On every side the forest was 
to be seen, and here and there an opening, in the centre of which 
was the cabin of the colonist. The smallness and newness of the 
houses, the deadened trees, the muddy streets, and the general 
appearance of every thing, reminded me of a pioneer settlement 
in the West. It was curious to see men from the Khine, and 
some from the environs of Berlin, here planted amid wild woods, 
in cottages of the rudest construction, thatched with palm- 
leaves. 

The "Hotel" of Herr Palma was my goal, and a hearty welcome 



The Welcome. 333 

awaited me; for the letters of Mr. V., in addition to the pros- 
pect of gain from the stranger, prompted it. The German cannot 
forget his native land; and one glance showed me that, though 
hard work must necessarily be the morning, noon, and night regime 
of the colonist in these woods, yet here were all the appliances for 
amusement, — a ballroom, a gallery for the orchestra, and a ten-pin 
alley. Mine host sent immediately for the schoolmaster, so that 
I might receive every mark of honor and distinguished village- 
consideration. 

Note for 1879. — In the above chapter I have incidentally mentioned the name 
of Mr. Bigg- Wither, and I cannot refrain from saying that no more racy, pic- 
turesque, and agreeable book on Brazil, full of adventure, can be found than his 
"Pioneering in South-Brazil " (2 vols. London, John Murray, 1878.) It is rightly 
described, in a few words which I quote from its preface, as " a narrative of travel 
in hitherto unexplored regions ; nearly one half of the time over which its pages 
extend having been spent by the author in the great forests of the remote interior 
of Brazil [Province of Parana] in the midst of wild scenes of savage nature, where 
no civilized man had before penetrated, and where, for weeks and months together, 
the normal condition of existence was an unceasing struggle with every natural 
surrounding." Mr. Bigg- Wither was one of a corps of sixteen engineers employed 
by the late Captain Palm, in the pay of the Brazilian Government, to explore and 
to survey a route for a trans-continental railway, which had, as its two Brazilian 
termini, Rio de Janeiro and Miranda (S. lat. 19° 30', and W. long. 35.30'.) The 
engineers and assistants were divided into four staffs, who were to survey dif- 
ferent portions of the route. It fell to Mr. Bigg- Wither to be chief of staff No. 2, 
whose duty was to survey the Valley of the Ivay, or Ivahy, in the Province of 
Parana, — beginning at Colonia Theresa ( which is laid down in the map of 
" Brazil and the Brazilians " as " French Colony.") Captain Palm, the originator 
of this undertaking, was an officer in the Swedish army, who had been especially 
favored by the King of Sweden. Captain Palm entertained the idea that a trans- 
continental railway through South America from Rio de Janeiro to some point on 
the Pacific Coast would in the course of a few years become an accomplished fact. 
He had succeeded in gaining the Brazilian Government to his views, and had 
enlisted the substantial sympathies of the Visconde de Maua. Nearly $200,000 and 
two years were spent in surveys, when the untimely death of Captain Palm, at 
Rio de Janeiro, and various other causes, suspended the work. Whether it will 
ever be taken up again is a question ; but one result of the expedition is a most 
charming and truthful book narrating most stirring adventures, and containing 
very just observations on the life on the frontier. It is an impartial book, except 
in its harsh judgments of Rio de Janeiro. There Mr. Bigg-Wither was unfor- 
tunate in his first experience, and still more unfortunate on his second visit by 
reason of illness. Take it all in all, " Pioneering in South-Brazil " is a worthy 
companion to Bate's " Naturalist on the Amazons." 



CHAPTEK XVIIL 

COLONIA DONNA FRANCISCA — THE SCHOOL-TEACHER — THE CLERGYMAN — A TURK — 
BIBLE-DISTRIBUTION — SUSPECTED — A B C — THE FALLEN FOREST — THE HOUSE OF 
THE DIRECTOR — A RUNAWAY — THE VILLAGE CEMETERY — MORAL WANTS — 

ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS CHARLATANISM SAN FRANCISCO JAIL THE BURIAL OF 

THE INNOCENT, AND THE MONEY-MAKING PADRE— THE PROVINCE OF STA. CATHA- 

RINA — DESTERRO — BEAUTIFUL SCENERY — SHELLS AND BUTTERFLIES COAL-MINES 

— PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL — HERDS AND HERDSMEN — THE LASSO — 
INDIANS — FORMER PROVINCIAL REVOLTS — PRESENT TRANQUILLITY ASSURED BY 
THE OVERTHROW OF ROSAS, AND OF THE PARAGUAYAN LOPEZ JR. 

The Colonia Donna Francisca was an enterprise, whose origin 
may be stated in a few words. In 1843, Prince de Joinville mar- 
ried Donna Francisca, the sister of the Emperor of Brazil. With 
her hand he received, as a dower, a large forest-estate in the pro- 
vince of Santa Catharina. A few years ago, at some of the 
watering-places of Germany, the Prince met with Senator Schrceder, 
of Hamburg, who proposed to him a plan for making his dower 
profitable, — viz. : to grant a certain portion of land to a company, 
who should form a colony upon it. The Prince granted nine square 
leagues, reserving a certain number of acres for himself in the most 
desirable situations. The company was formed, and agreed to 
bring out some sixteen hundred colonists within a given time. 
From March, 1851, to March, 1855, the number, according to con- 
tract, had arrived. The greater portion of the colonists are from 
German Switzerland, though France and Germany are represented 
by a respectable minority. The village of Joinville contains about 
sixty houses; in the surrounding country there are one hundred 
and twenty buildings, and others in construction. After deducting 
deaths, there are something like fifteen hundred inhabitants in this 
colony; while there are a considerable number of French, and 
French Swiss, in an adjoining colony founded by Prince de Joinville 
334 



The Teacher and the Clergyman. 335 

on his own lands. Two-thirds of all the colonists are doubtless 
Protestants, while the other third are Eomanists. 

What will be the success of the colony remains to be seen. The 
colonists, with few exceptions, are not of the first class who seek 
the New World; and doubtless the company, wishing to fulfil their 
contract as to numbers, were not by any means careful in the 
selection of the emigrants. They are obliged to pay for their land, 
which is much dearer than in the United States, and, having the 
thick forests to fell, are soon out of funds. Their distance from 
any market, and the impossibility of obtaining remunerating crops 
until the hard labors of the pioneer are performed in the unbroken 
wild wood, operate powerfully against all but the most courageous 
hearts. With lands, however, (which the company has now ob- 
tained,) away from the low district bordering the river, the prospect 
will be brighter. I am nevertheless convinced that the best means 
of colonizing Brazil is not by private speculation in village-lots and 
farming-groun ds. 

Herr Palma returned, accompanied by the school-teacher. The 
latter was a dandified-looking gentleman, dressed in the latest 
Parisian fashion, but withal a person not wanting in ability or in 
acquirements; for at his rooms I found chemical apparatus, with 
which he was constantly experimenting, and I also ascertained 
that he was an engineer and an artist of no ordinary merit. He 
offered his services to go with me to the Lutheran clergyman, and 
to be at my disposition generally. To the clergyman I had no 
letters. In a few moments I was at his house, which was most 
scantily furnished : indeed, I have rarely seen in the backwoods of 
the United States a minister surrounded with so little comfort, or 
so few of the necessaries of life. He spoke neither French nor 
Portuguese, and his stock of English exceeded very little my stock 
of German ; so that I had great difficulty in making him compre- 
hend my mission. I attempted to be more explicit through the 
teacher, to whom I spoke in French, which he translated into Ger- 
man. Still he did not seem to comprehend, and I left his house 
feeling somewhat discouraged at my reception, especially when I 
contrasted it with the warm co-operation which I had received 
from the Lutheran clergyman at Petropolis. 

In the mean time a rumor ran through the village that a 



336 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

stranger with Bibles had arrived, and when I returned to the little 
inn I had as much as I could do to attend to the visitors. Among 
them was an accomplished and refined lady, the daughter of an 
LL.D. of Hamburg, and wife of the head-director of Prince de 
Joinville's colony, which must not be confounded with the Ham- 
burg colony in Joinville. My German Bibles and Portuguese 
Testaments were soon exhausted, but I had some still left at San 
Francisco, for which they paid me the money, and I sent them the 
next day after my return. 

The clergyman now joined us. He was a little more cordial 
this time. I invited him and the school-teacher to take tea with 
me. During the repast, the latter left us a few moments, and 
then returned; but while he was absent, the clergyman said to me, 
" How did you become acquainted with the teacher ? He is a turn- 
coat." I then understood his reserve, and non-comprehension of 
my remarks which I had made in the presence of the pedagogue 
at the parsonage. The teacher was born in Bulgaria, — was a 
Mohammedan : he afterward went to Germany, and finally came 
to Brazil with some Belgian savants whose object was scientific 
exploration. The young man became attached to a Brazilian girl 
twelve years of age, renounced his religion, became a Romanist, 
and married her. I could still further appreciate the cautious 
movements of the clergyman, when he informed me that he him- 
self was a Bohemian by birth, was educated in Vienna, and was 
the means of turning some seventy Papists to Protestantism, 
and on this account he was expelled from Austria. Although I 
received the kindest of treatment from the schoolmaster, truth 
compels me to say that among the people of the village he has 
the reputation of being Roman Catholic only in theory, for in 
practice he was as much of a Turk^as if he resided in the heart of 
the Ottoman Empire. 

The company around me was a mixed one, some being Romanists, 
others Protestants. In the course of the evening an honest-look- 
ing Bernese Swiss came into the room. I saluted him, and spoke 
of the Bible, but observed that he viewed me with a cautious eye. 
Soon I saw him and the pastor go out together. They returned in 
a few minutes; and a short time after the Bernese took me aside 
and said, "lam convinced that you have a good object in view. I 



Suspected of being a Jesuit. 



337 



was afraid you were a Jesuit/' (he had not forgotten the Sonder- 
bund in his own country;) "but the pastor assures me that you are 
not. I wish to do good. I once hoped to be a missionary, but 
early circumstances prevented, and therefore I must be content to 
work through others : so please accept this small sum of money, 
and all that I wish you to do is to spread the good news of the 
blessed Saviour." After he went away, the pastor handed me 
another small sum, which the same Bernese had given him for me. 
The total was only nine francs ; but that sum is equal to one hun- 
dred francs in the United States. T afterward sent him, from San 




A GERMAN EMIGRANT'S CABIN AT DONNA FRANCISCA. 



Francisco do Sul, sufficient Bibles in return for his gift, and hope 
that he will thus be more immediately made the instrument of 
spreading "the good news of the blessed Saviour." 

It was late when my visitors retired. The next morning, at 



338 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

an early hour, mounted upon a wild-looking horse, and dashing 
through mud and mire, I went to breakfast with the director of 
the Hamburgese (the Joinville, not the Prince's) colony. As I 
rode along, I saw on either hand the small cottages of the colonists, 
(distinguished from Brazilian houses by their chimneys,) reared 
amid the overshadowing, broad-leafed banana-trees, in this land of 
no winter. But they have a hard lot, for the forest-land is difficult 
to clear; the soil is not so rich for cereals and other productions 
which they have been accustomed to cultivate, and, above all, the 
people are poor, and, many of them being from the lowest classes 
in Germany, quite a number give themselves up to drink. It was 
on this latter account that the pastor solicited G-erman temperance- 
tracts. 

As I passed one house, in the midst of hundreds of palms and 
other magnificent trees, I heard the sweet sound of a mother 
teaching her little one to lisp its ABC. 

It was a new sight for me to behold the primeval forest of the 
tropics being prostrated under the fell swoop of the woodman's 
axe. On every side, noble palms and rare and gigantic parasites 
were hurled in wild confusion to the ground. Near the house of 
Mr. H., I saw one of these wood-kings lifting his solitary head 
amid his fallen companions. The monarch was crowned and fes- 
tooned with magnificent orchidse and clambering wild vines. His 
own bright-green foliage spoke of life and vigor; but the dripping 
dew-drops seemed like . falling tears mourning the desolation 
around. But, to make this world a fit habitation for man, 
nature, as well as man, must make her sacrifices : so utility recon- 
ciled me. 

The little long-tailed birds (closely resembling the whidah-birds 
of Africa) that I had often seen pining in cages were here in glorious 
freedom, playing before me, gracefully floating from fern to fern, 
or swinging in fearless glee upon the pendent parasitic vanilla 
which loaded the morning air with its rich perfume. 

The house of Mr. H. was prettily situated, and, in this remote 
corner of the world, it was as interesting as it was strange to con 
over, in his little parlor, the last London "Illustrated News," 
"La Presse," and the Paris "Illustration." Madame H., from La 
Belle France, demonstrated that others besides American women 



The Village Cemetery. 



339 



could enter the backwoods and undergo with contentment tbe 
hardships and the excitements of a pioneer life. 




When Mr. H. and myself were ready to return to the village, our 
horses were brought to the door; but mine had the bad taste to 
break his halter, and, snorting a loud adieu, away he went, career- 
ing along the road toward Joinville. His free movement, crested 
mane, and distended nostril, made him look for all the world like 
one of the steeds on the Elgin marbles ; only he was minus his 
rider. As he disappeared from sight, he flung his heels high in the 
air, and gave a series of farewell kicks and other antics which were 
enough to provoke laughter from even brooding melancholy. Mr. 
H. kindly furnished me with another horse, and the last that I saw 
of my steed was just as we reached Joinville. He had entered a 
small sugar-plantation, and was enjoying a most delightful repast 
of the tender young cane. 

Before entering the village, we turned aside from the road, 
ascended a forest-crowned hill, upon whose sides was the rural 
cemetery where were buried the colonists of the Hamburg settle- 
ment. It was a sad yet beautiful spot. The morning sun had 
risen high above the forests, yet the dense foliage was still 
sparkling with matinal freshness. Each day and each year the 
sun will shine upon that remote little cemetery; but those who 
there sleep will never again behold the morning glories of this 



340 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

bright land. The earth was yet fresh that covered the remains 
of one of the finest men of the colony : a few wreaths immortelles 
had been hung with rustic tasto by some kindly hand near the 
humble grave; but no father or mother or gentle sister would 
ever shod the silent tear over the sleeping dead. 

From the same hill wo had a fine view of the village. The 
living and the dead are thus brought near each other; but man is 
a forgetful creature, and the lessons of cemeteries and new-made 
graves are as easily forgotten in this retired nook as amid the busy 
hum of the vast city. 

Before leaving the colony, I visited the school, which is sustained 
by the common-school fund of the province, and I found that the 
Bulgarian had not been neglectful of his little charge, which he 
instructed in both German and Portuguese. 

In wandering through Joinville, I called upon a colonist who 
has a, brother in New York, and, while in his house, a gentle- 
manly-looking man entered. By his conversation I ascertained 
that he was a. physician. So soon as he knew who I was, and in 
what capacity I had visited the colony, he took me warmly by the 
hand, and I learned that ho was one of those physicians who care 
for the souls as well as for the bodies of their patients. My inter- 
course with him was very pleasant; for, in addition to his piety, 
I found him a gentleman of cultivated mind, having been educated 
at the University of Hallo; and that which particularly interested 
mo was that ho had, apart from his professional studios, attended 
the lectures of Tholuck. 

He, as well as the Lutheran clergyman, highly approved of the 
proposition of another German pastor in the Empire, which is to 
have an ordained missionary colporteur to go from colony to 
colony throughout Brazil, with Bibles and tracts, encouraging 
sueh dommunities as have pastors; by the printed Word and reli- 
gious works rallying those who are without a clergyman; and 
performing the rites of marriage where, for want of a minister, 
this — so essential to the purity of a community — has been to a 
great extent neglected. 

There are German colonies scattered here and there throughout 
the whole length of the Brazilian sea-coast, and there is, from the 
nature of the case, a loud call upon the evangelical Germans of our 



Orchidaceous Plants. 



341 



land to care for the spiritual welfare of their countrymen in Brazil. 
I believe that such a work, carried on by a few of the Lutheran 
churches of the United States, would redound in great good. They 
could thus direct the operations of the man who should be called 
to this labor better than a large benevolent society that has fifty 
other lands in view. Such an enterprise is of the most imperious 
necessity, not only for keeping alive evangelical piety, but the 
knowledge of Protestant Christianity. 

On returning to the hotel, I found that a large basket of orchi- 
daceous plants of the rarest species had been prepared according 
to my order, which I sent as a present to a kind friend at Eio de 
Janeiro. The lot, with the basket, cost but three dollars : in England 
they would have brought a 
fabulous price, considering the 
rage that now exists among 
royal and noble horticul- 
turalists for these curious 
subjects of Flora's kingdom. 
They can be easily trans- 
ported over the ocean, if care 
be taken that all contact with 
salt water be avoided. I found 
that there was a naturalist 
not far from Eio who often 
sent orchidse to England. 
Brazil is exceedingly rich in 
parasites and air-plants ; but 
none among the vast variety 
is more graceful than the 
vanilla, which is found in 
greater or less abundance 
from the northern limit of 
the Empire to the province 
of St. Catharine's. Its little 
star-like flower, its pretty leaf, 
and its delicious fragrance, 

make it an object of beauty and of admiration. I, however, could 
never understand why the vanilla-bean should be imported into 




THE VANILLA. 



342 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Rio from Mexico and Central America via New York, when the 
plant itself abounded in Brazil. 

I left the colony with sincere regret that I could not remain 
longer and see more of the people ; but, according to the announce- 
ment, the steamer which was to take me back to Santos was to 
arrive the next morning. So I^oade farewell to my newly-made 
friends, and, after several hours' hard rowing in the cramped-up, 
narrow canoe, arrived at San Francisco do Sul. 

The steam-packet was not in the harbor on the appointed day, 
and I passed the time very agreeably with Mr. Y. and a number 
of Germans, one of whom was a young physician educated at 
Breslau, but was about to retire in disgust from the colony and 
from Brazil. He was certainly more adapted to a formed than to 
a forming societj^. He alleged, as his principal reason, that Brazil 
was a great field for charlatanism; that pretenders and quacks 
could always succeed better than the regular scientifically edu- 
cated. He instanced the case of a barber of the Schleswig-Holstein 
army, who emigrated to the new province of Parana and is now 
the physician in highest repute in that region. I was further 
informed that this ci-devant knight of the razor had recently ap- 
peared in the theatre at Paranagua with a decoration bespangling 
his breast, pretending that it was conferred in Europe for his dis- 
tinguished surgical services ! My Breslau friend was evidently a 
cultivated man, and well read in his profession, but home-sickness 
was doubtless the disease that made him look at every thing with 
distorted vision ; for I doubt if there can be found on the Western 
Continent a country where the Government and the medical 
faculty are more strict than in Brazil. There are successful 
charlatans under the very eyes of the medical schools in Paris, 
and it is not therefore strange that examples occur in a vast, 
thinly-populated country. 

Often, leaving my companions, I would stray alone into tho 
foliaged walks which are found on every side, and there I could 
be as retired as if a thousand miles from the haunts of man. 
A favorite place was the ruins of .an old convent on the summit 
of a vine-clad hill, near which were the new foundations of 
an hospital erected as an expiatory offering by some rich 
lady of San Francisco : she having died, her pious work, 1 



The Burial of the Innocent. 343 

fear, will soon be in the same condition as that of the 
Jesuits. 

In one of my rambles I paid a visit to the jail, the only occu- 
pant of which was a German who, in a fit of anger, had struck 
the director of the Hamburg colony. Now, it is perfectly allow- 
able in Brazil to call a man very hard names and cheat him as 
much as you please with impunity; but to strike a man is beyond 
all bounds of decency, and the jail or some other punishment is 
sure to follow. The prisoner seemed very happy under the cir- 
cumstances, having a finer room than that which I occupied at 
Herr Sneider's, and perfect freedom to go where he pleased at 
certain hours of the day. 

From the jail I entered the large church, situated near the 
centre of the village. The floor was so constructed of wood that 
it could be lifted up in sections, which was always done when 
interments took place. Here for nearly two centuries people had 
been buried who died with the fond hope of being brought nearer 
to heaven by having their bodies within these precincts made by 
man's hands. An old negro was digging a grave, and each time 
his heavy hoe (the spade is rarely used) went down, it ruthlessly 
crunched and smashed through skulls and ribs and whatever else 
is fragile in our poor human frame. The fragments were pitched 
up as common clay. 

I was disturbed in my meditations of this scene by the fat, jolly, 
round padre, who, with a giggling face, gave orders, in a loud and 
any thing but solemn voice, to an assistant who was bearing a coffin 
to the centre of the church. It was a small coffin, yet it was large 
enough. It was uncovered, and in it lay, in the slumber of death, a 
little girl of twelve months. A sweet smile was upon her features; 
her tiny hands were clasped together, and her eyes were open and 
beaming with such a lovely expression that they seemed to be 
gazing into heaven. The tinsel and the ornaments with which 
the body was bedecked I scarcely saw. Three women, clad in deep 
mourning, and with mantillas of richest broadcloth trailing from 
their heads to the ground, swept noiselessly through the church, 
giving one lingering look at the innocent dead. The priest ap- 
proached and saluted me. I had seen him upon my arrival, and 
made bold to make a few inquiries in regard to the child. He in- 



344 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

formed me that he was just preparing to say mass for it : I, however, 
took up the words of our Saviour, and said, " Of such is the king- 
dom of heaven," and that the little one redeemed by the Saviour 
was already an angel in the realms of light, and that there was no 
need of saying mass for such, even waiving the question of right to 
say mass for any one. He replied with an e verdade, senhor, but, 
notwithstanding, went on to his work, — because he made by it 
money, — because the church is corrupt, and man seeks out new 
inventions rather than follow the plain precepts of truth. 

After speaking with him against intermural burials, I espied a 
pulpit, and asked him if he preached: he answered, "Sometimes, 
especially at the fiestas." To all my remarks on preaching the 
righteousness of Christ only, he bowed, grinned, uttered many 
e verdades and muito obrigados, (it is very true; I am much obliged 
to you;) and I left, profoundly convinced that a moral earthquake 
will be necessary to shake off the indifference of the Brazilian 
priesthood before their minds will be directed aright. 

The steamer entered the bay, and I turned my face northward. 

The province of St. Catharine, in which the colony of Donna 
Francisca is situated, is the smallest in the southern part of the 
Empire. In fertility and salubrity it is second to none. Its re- 
sources, however, have been developed only fifty or sixty miles from 
the coast : beyond this, the aborigines still abound, and farther in 
the interior they are warlike, and cherish a deadly hatred to the 
white man. Yet I would not convey, through this statement, the 
impression that the province is a howling wilderness; for the towns 
on the sea-coast, the villages, and the flourishing small plantations, 
more remote from the littoral, and the numerous colonies founded 
by the Imperial and provincial governments, by private companies 
and by single individuals, on the belt of land stretching from the 
Rio San Francisco do Sul to the Manpituba, all speak of a certain 
amount of civilization and progress. The population according to 
the last census is 159,802. 

The capital of the province is often called Santa Catharina, though 
its proper and full name is JVossa Senhora do Desterro, which may be 
translated either u Our Lady of the Desert" or of "Banishment.'* 
It is situated upon the island which gives the name to the province, 
and its harbor, though small, is compared with that of Bio de 



Santa Catharina. 



345 



Janeiro for excellence and beauty. Desterro is the seat of a 
considerable trade; yet the planters are not engaged in grand 
agricultural operations, as in the provinces farther north. The 
coifee exported thence enjoys a high reputation, and is of a 
superior quality. 






fji The island of Santa 
Catharina is mountain- 
ous and finely wooded, 
and the scenery with 
which the city of Des- 
terro is surrounded has been the 
~ admiration of every traveller who 
has been privileged to visit this 
picturesque region. A friend who 
resided many years ago in the 
islands of the Pacific, on visiting 
St. Catharine's wrote home his im- 
pressions, stating that the general 
aspect of all around him was so 
like the South Seas that he felt as if he were suddenly trans- 
ported thither and were again amid the scenes of bygone years. 
He added, "The palm-tree tossing its plumed branches in the 
wind, the broad leaves of the banana rustling in the breeze, the 



346 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

perfume of the orange-blossoms and Cape jessamine, the sugar- 
cane, the coffee-plant and cotton-bush, the palma Christi and guava, 
the light canoe upon the water, and the rude huts dotting the 
shore, — all hurried me in imagination to the Marquesas, the Society, 
and the Sandwich Islands." 

There is a commerce here in artificial flowers made from 
beetles' wings, fish-scales, sea-shells, and feathers, which attract 
the attention of every visitor. These are made by the mulheres 
(women) of almost every class, and thus they obtain not only 
pin-money, but some amass wealth in the traffic. The wreaths, 
necklaces, and bracelets made from the scales of a large fish are 
not only curious, but are exceedingly beautiful. Their effect at 
night is that of the most brilliant set of pearls, and they are as 
much superior in splendor to the small specimens of fish-scale 
flowers manufactured in Ireland, and exposed in the Sydenham 
Palace, London, as the diamond surpasses the glisten of cut- 
glass. 

Not only tropic fruits and flowers are here to be found in profu- 
sion, but the choicest horticultural productions of Europe can be 
cultivated to perfection; and such is the salubrity of the air, that 
Desterro is often visited by invalids from the more northern pro- 
vinces, and even from more distant countries. 

The natural history of Santa 1 Catharina is peculiarly interesting. 
Among the shells abounding on the coast there is a species of Murex, 
from the animal of which a beautiful crimson color may be ex- 
tracted. . It is, however, the department of entomology which has 
excited the most lively admiration of the naturalists who have 
visited the province. The butterflies are the most splendid in the 
world. Langsdorff says they are not like the tame and puny 
lepidopters of Europe, which can be caught by means of a small 
piece of silk. On the contrary, they rise high in the air, with a 
brisk and rapid flight. Sometimes they light and repose on flowers 
at the tops of trees, and rarely risk themselves within reach of the 
hand. They appear to be constantly on their guard, and, if caught 
at all, it must be when on the wing, by means of a net at the ex- 
tremity of a long rod of cane. Some species are observed to live 
in society, hundreds and thousands of them being sometimes found 
together. These generally prefer the lower districts and the banks 



COAL-MINES AND RlO GltANDE DO SUL. 347 

of streams. When one of them is caught and fastened by a pin on 
the surface of the sand, swarms of the same species will gather 
round him, and may be caught at pleasure. 

It has been rumored for many years that mines of coal exist 
within the bounds of the province; but, notwithstanding some 
examinations by order of G-overnment, no satisfactory discoveries 
have yet been made. Doctor Parigot, who was employed to make 
surveys in the province in 1841, reported the existence of a car- 
boniferous stratum, from twenty to thirty miles in width and about 
three hundred in length, running from north to south through the 
province. The best vein of coal he opened he pronounced half 
bituminous, and situated between thick strata of the hydrous oxide 
of iron and bituminous schist; but hitherto there has been no very 
encouraging result from these explorations. In the neighboring 
province of Eio Grande do Sul, coal of a better kind, though some- 
what argillaceous, was found about the same time at a place called 
Herval, not far from S. Leopoldo. But in 1861 the most important 
mineral discovery ever made in Brazil was made by Mr. Nathaniel 
Plant, in Eio Grande do Sul; and the name of Candiota, in connec- 
tion with coal, will be as famous in Brazil as Cardiff in England. 
For full accounts of this great discovery, see Appendix H. 

The province of Sao Pedro do Bio Grande do Sul (more com- 
monly known as simply Bio Grande do Sul) constitutes the extreme 
southern portion of the Empire of Brazil. It is so called from the 
first parochial Church of St. Peter, (S. Pedro,) and the river 
called Grande, (see on the map Barra do Eio Grande,) near whose 
margins it was erected. In many of the official papers of the Em- 
pire, this province occurs as S. Pedro, to distinguish it from Eio 
Grande do Norte. In the salubrity of its climate and the fertility 
of its soil it resembles the Eepublic of Uruguay, upon which it 
borders. It is admirably adapted for European immigration, and 
the most successful of all the colonies established by the Imperial 
Government is that of S. Leopoldo, founded in 1825, which to-day 
numbers a busy and prosperous population of more than eleven 
thousand souls. 

All the cereals and fruits of Central Europe can be cultivated in 
this province, and formerly immense quantities of wheat were 
grown, so that not only was there sufficient for home-supply, but 



348 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

for exportation. This branch of agriculture has now so dwindled 
that flour is, to some extent, imported from the United States. 

The great wealth of Eio Grande do Sul consists of that which 
constituted the riches of the patriarchs, — flocks and herds. The 
Guachos of Buenos Ayres are not more expert on horseback or 
more skilful in the use of the lasso than are the Eio Grandenses, 
whose occupation from childhood is the care and culture of the 
herds of cattle which roam the vast campinas or prairies. It has 
been estimated that in the province of Bio Grande do Sul, not 
mentioning parts of Santa Catharina and S. Paulo which are 
devoted to the same purposes, five hundred thousand cattle are 
slaughtered annually for the sake of preserving their hides and 
flesh, while as many more are driven northward for ordinary con- 
sumption. Most of the came secca, or jerked beef, in common use 
throughout Brazil, is prepared here. After the hide is taken from 
the ox, the flesh is skinned off in a similar manner from the whole 
side, in strips about half an inch in thickness. The meat, in this 
form, is stretched in the sun to dry. But very little salt is used in 
its preservation, and, when sufficiently cured, it is shipped to all 
the maritime provinces, and is the only kind of preserved beef 
used in the country. Stacks of this meat (emitting no very agree- 
able odor) lie piled up, like cords of wood, in the provision-houses 
of Bio de Janeiro. 

In the financial year 1873-74, Rio Grande do Sul exported the 
value of near $12,000,000 in hides, horns, hair, and wool, about one- 
third of which was imported into the United States. 

The character of the people is somewhat peculiar, owing to their 
circumstances and mode of life. They are generally tall, of an 
active and energetic appearance, with handsome features, and of a 
lighter skin than prevails among the inhabitants of the northern 
portions of the Empire. Both sexes are accustomed, from child- 
hood, to ride on horseback, and consequently acquire great skill in 
the management of those noble animals upon which they take their 
amusements as well as perform their journeys and pursue the wild 
cattle of their plains. 

The use of the lasso is learned among the earliest sports of boy- 
hood, and is continued until an almost inconceivable dexterity is 
acquired. Little children, armed with their lasso or bolas, make 



Lassoing Wild Cattle. 



349 



war upon the chickens, ducks, and geese of the farmyard, until 
their ambition and streDgth lead them into a wider field. 

For the pursuit of wild cattle the horses are admirably trained, 
so that, when the lasso is thrown, they know precisely what to do. 
Sometimes, in the case of a furious animal, the rider checks the 
horse and dismounts, while the bull is running out the length of 
his raw-hide rope. The horse wheels round and braces himself to 
sustain the shock which the momentum of the captured animal 
must inevitably give. The bull, not expecting to be brought up so 




THE LASSO. 



suddenly, is thrown sprawling to the ground. Eising to his feet, 
he rushes upon the horse to gore him; but the latter keeps at a 
distance, until the bull, finding that nothing is to be accomplished 
in this way, again attempts to flee, when the rope a second time 
brings him to the ground. Thus the poor animal is worried, until 
he is wholly within the power of his captors. 

Nor is it only in Eio Grande do Sul or San Paulo that scenes of 
this kind may be observed. They were formerly witnessed in Bio 
de Janeiro itself. At the Matadouro publico, situated on the Praya 
d'Ajuda, before the municipal butcheries were removed to the spa- 
cious abattoirs at San Christovao, vast numbers of cattle were daily 
slaughtered. Among the droves that reached the capital from the 



350 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



distant sertoes was occasionally an ox so wild and powerful that 
he was not disposed to surrender life without a desperate struggle. 
He would break from his enclosure and dash into the streets of the 
city, threatening destruction to whoever opposed his course. A 
horse, accoutred with saddle and bridle, and with a lasso fastened 
to him by a strong girth, stood ready for the emergency, and was 
mounted in an instant to give pursuit. The chase was widely dif- 
ferent in its circumstances from that which occurs in the open 
campos; but perhaps no interest was lost in the rapid turning of 
corners of streets, the heavy clatter of hoofs upon the pavement, 
and the hasty accumulation of spectators. In a short time, usually, 
the noose of the lasso whirled around the horns of the fugitive, 
an area was cleared, and the scene already described was enacted, 
until the runaway ox was killed on the spot or led away in triumph 
to the slaughter. The lasso is, moreover, in frequent use in the 
Campo de Santa Anna, in the same city, where vast herds of mules 




THE QUAYCURUS. 



are frequently congregated for sale. The purchaser has only to 
indicate which animal out of the untamed multitude he would like 
to examine, and the tropeiro soon has him " slippernoosed" at the 
end of his long rope, by which he holds or leads him at will. 

This portion of Brazil was inhabited at the period of the settle- 
ment by two peculiar tribes of savages. On the eastern part of 



Tranquillity Secured by the Fall of Rosas. 351 

Rio Grande do Sul and in St. Catharine's were the Carijos, who were 
said to he the most humane of all the aborigines, and were the 
most accessible to European manners and cultivation. North of 
the province under consideration were the Guaycurus, — Indian ca- 
valry, — so called because the Portuguese found them ready to give 
battle on horseback. Where they obtained these horses is an un- 
explained mystery, but doubtless they were procured either 
through the Spaniards on the Pacific coast, or from some of the 
earliest settlements on the La Plata. I have in my possession an 
old picture of Guaycurus charging regulars, and their position 
reminds one of that resorted to by the wild Camanches of New 
Mexico. 

Rio Grande do Sul is in population the 7th, and in commerce the 4th 
province in the Empire. It has more schools in proportion than any 
other province. Population, 430,878. 

For a series of years Rio Grande was in open rebellion against 
the Imperial Government, to which fact allusion has already been 
made. The effect of this struggle was the proclamation of free- 
dom to the slaves by both parties, so that the number of those 
in bondage was greatly diminished. The proximity of this pro- 
vince to the Spanish-American Governments doubtless did much, 
before the Empire of Brazil was fully established in strength, to 
incline it to republican notions, and it was thought at one time 
that Rio Grande would sever itself from the Empire, and, like the 
Banda Oriental, or Uruguay, (once a province of Brazil,) become 
an independent State. But, between generous concessions and 
vigorous measures, Rio Grande was brought back to allegiance, 
and to day none of her sister-provinces excel her in loyalty to the 
existing regime. Brazil, however, has taken effectual means and 
preventives that her southern border be no longer disturbed. The 
tyrant Rosas* was overthrown through the aid of the Brazilian 



* Allusion having been made to the part which Brazil took in the overthrow of 
the Nero-Borgia of the New World, the following note from Mr. Hadfield's work 
will give an outline of the history of affairs in the Argentine Confederation : — 

"In January, 1831, the provinces of Buenos Ayres, Entre Rios, Corrientes, and 
Santa Fe\ entered into a federal compact, to which all the other provinces at 
subsequent periods became parties. The union was a voluntary alliance. No 
general Constitution was promulgated, and the adhesion of the several members 



352 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

army and navy, and Brazil in the Paraguayan war had to conquer 
a peace by overthrowing a new despot, — Lopez Jr. Brazil was en- 
was left to be secured by the resources of the person who might obtain the direc- 
tion of affairs. This Argentine Confederation, like the Republic which it had 
succeeded, soon fell into a state of anarchy ; and it was not till the election of 
General Rosas as governor or captain-general, with almost absolute power, in 
1835, that even temporary quiet was secured. But cruelty and despotism marked 
his sway at home, and his ambition, which continually prompted him to endeavors 
to extend his power over the whole country watered by the La Plata and the Parana, 
led him into disputes with foreign powers; and these ultimately brought about 
his downfall. 

"On the death of Francia, Dictator of Paraguay, Rosas refused to acknowledge 
the independence of that power, insisting that it should join the Argentine Con- 
federation. At the same time he refused to allow the navigation of the Parana by 
vessels bound to Paraguay. Lopez, the new Dictator of Paraguay, therefore entered 
into alliance with the Banda Oriental, now called Uruguay, with which Rosas was 
at war. These powers applied for assistance to Brazil. The war was prolonged 
until the whole country on both sides of the Plata and the Parana was in a state 
of confusion. Great Britain volunteered her mediation, but it was rejected by 
Rosas. England and France tried various measures with Rosas from 1845 to 1849, 
but in vain. On the final withdrawal of the two great powers in 1850, Brazil 
determined on active interference. Accordingly, toward the close of 1850, Brazil, 
Uruguay, and Paraguay entered into a treaty, to which Corrientes and Entre Rios, 
as represented by General Urquiza, became parties, by which they bound them- 
selves to continue hostilities until they had effected the deposition of Rosas, 
'whose power and tyranny' they declared to be 'incompatible with the peace 
and happiness of this part of the world.' Early in the spring of 1851, a Brazilian 
fleet blockaded Buenos Ayres, and soon after an Argentine force commanded by 
Urquiza crossed the Uruguay. General Oribe, who commanded the army of Rosas 
at Montevideo, capitulated. His soldiers for the most part joined the army of 
Urquiza, who — at the head of a force amounting, it is said, to seventy thousand 
men — crossed into Buenos Ayres. A general engagement took place on the plains 
of Moron, February 2, 1852, when the army of Rosas was entirely defeated. Rosas, 
who had commanded in person, succeeded in escaping from the field; and, in the 
dress of a peasant, he reached in safety the house of the British minister at Buenos 
Ayres. From thence, with his daughter, he proceeded on board H.B.M. steamer 
Locust, and on the 10th of February sailed in the Conflict steamer for England." 

Note for 1879.— The Paraguay -War of 1865-71.— In 1862, Lopez Sr., the 
second Dictator of Paraguay, died. In 1859 he had given the Brazilian Govern- 
ment difficulty by his non-compliance with the solemn treaties made in 1850, 
which granted the right of way for steamers going to Matto Grosso up the river 
Paraguay, and also by his refusal to settle the boundary-line question between 
Paraguay and Brazil. He thus treated the power which had saved Paraguay from 
the tyrant Rosas. However, matters were bridged over, because Brazil made 
earnest diplomatic efforts, accompanied by a strong show of force. In 1862, 
Lopez Sr. died. Lopez Jr. assumed the reins of government, and became third 
Dictator of Paraguay. He then sent for mechanics from Europe, imported vast 
quantities of machinery and iron, nominally for the railway from Asuncion to 



Hope op Future Development. 353 

gaged in a just war, though not one of her seeking, and the downfall 
of Lopez the }<ounger must ever be promotive of as great a benefit to 
Paraguay as to herself. 

Villa Rica, but in reality, as subsequent events have shown, for war purposes, 
as he seems to have been filled with hatred of Brazil for presuming, through the 
Brazilian statesman Paranhos, to interfere in Paraguayan affairs. In 1863-64, 
the Banda Oriental, or Republic of Uruguay, became torn by internal faction : 
the Blancos (the ins) were opposed by the Colorados (the outs), led by General 
Flores. Brazilian citizens in Uruguay suffered at the hands of the Blancos, and 
Brazil was compelled, after long and peaceable protestation, to send down Vice- 
Admiral Visconde de Tamandare with the Brazilian fleet to protect her citizens. 
She did this effectually by aiding Flores, and the Government of Uruguay fell 
into the hands of the Colorados. Forced to take up arms to protect her subjects 
in Uruguay from ill treatment and extortion, she showed by her moderation in the 
hour of triumph that her practice was consistent with her profession, and that 
no ideas of conquest or oppression had mingled with the exaction of the repara- 
tion she had so long and vainly sought by peaceful means. But Lopez, before 
the Blanco party fell, had said to Brazil, " If you attack Uruguay, I will attack 
you." This was a mere pretext, as his ample preparations showed. On the 13th 
of November, 1864, without declaration of war, Lopez caused the Brazilian mail- 
steamer Marquis de Olinda, on her way to Matto Grosso, to be seized and brought 
back to Asuncion, and her passengers, including the President of Matto Grosso 
and a number of Brazilian army and navy officers, to be put into prison. The 
Brazilian Minister, Vianna de Lima, could not obtain his passports without the 
intervention of the United States Minister, Mr. Washburn. Paraguay steamers 
then went up the river, bombarded and seized Coimbra, took Albuquerque, Co- 
rumba, and other points in Brazil, and committed great outrages upon an almost 
defenceless people. Of course Brazil had no other resource than to fly to arms. 
But Brazil, like all large bodies, moved slowly, and in the mean time Lopez, 
(whose object should have been to secure the neutrality of the Argentine Con- 
federation,) without judgment and without knowledge of international law, de- 
manded from the Argentine Confederation passage for the Paraguayan ar us across 
the Argentine State of Corrientes. The President (Mitre) of the Confederation 
replied, in effect, " We are at peace with Brazil : it cannot be done." At this 
Lopez seized, without declaration of war, steamers belonging to the Confederation. 
Uruguay, the Argentine Confederation, and Brazil were then all brought into 
alliance, through the good offices of the Brazilian envoy, Sr. Octaviano. On June 
11, 1865, at a place on the river Parana, not far from Corrientes, the first naval 
conflict took plaee between Paraguayans and Brazilians. Barroso commanded the 
Brazilian fleet. The odds (in number of Paraguay steamers and land-batteries) 
were against the Brazilians ; but the victory achieved was the most brilliant in 
the annals of South America. Lopez's troops had invaded Corrientes and Rio 
Grande do Sul, but were defeated at the Yatay (or Ytati) on the 17th of August, 
1865, and at Uruguay ana (Rio Grande do Sul) on the 18th of September, 1865, 
the Emperor commanding in person. After a persevering war on the part of 
Brazil, and great stubbornness on the part of Lopez, the war was, under the 
Count d ; Eu, triumphantly brought to a close by the conquest and death of Lopez 
on the 1st of March, 1870. 



OHAPTEK XIX. 

JOURNEY TO SAN PAULO — NIGHT-TRAVELLING — SERRA DO CUBATAO — THE HEAVEN 

OF THE MOON FRADE VASCONCELLOS ANT-HILLS TROPEIROS CURIOUS 

ITEMS OF TRADE — YPIRANGA — CITY OF SAN PAULO — LAW-STUDENTS AND CON- 
VENTS MR. MAWE'S EXPERIENCE CONTRASTED — DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY 

RESPECT FOR S. PAULO THE VISIONARY HOTEL-KEEPER. 

Although I have since gone by rail over the route described in 
this chapter, yet I prefer giving the incidents of my horseback ride in 
my first journey to Sao Paulo. 

On my return from the province of Santa Catharina I again 
touched at Paranagua, and, with the usual slowness which charac- 
terized Brazilian coast-travelling a few years ago, I came leisurely 
to Santos, and thence proceeded to the city of San Paulo. A young 
Brazilian had the intention of accompanying me to the capital of 
the province; but when I informed him that it was my determina- 
tion to start for the interior the day of my arrival at Santos, he at 
first laughed at me, considering it an impossibility, and intimated 
that I would gladly accept the proffered hospitality of friends. 

At half-past five o'clock in the evening I set out alone. I have 
often heard exclamations of surprise, from those who have never 
been in Brazil, at the very idea of journeying without a com- 
panion in a land which their imaginations have pictured as the 
abode of brigands and wild beasts. Though I have compassed 
many leagues solus, I have never met with the former, and the 
latter have been quite harmless. My horse, in size, in his trap- 
pings, and in general appearance, was befitting a Calmuck Tartar. 
He had never made the acquaintance of a curry-comb, but got over 
the fine road which leads to Cubitao with a speed worthy of a bet- 
ter-looking animal. It was dark before I reached the bridge which 
spans the Bio do Cubitao; and, not feeling exactly sure of a hospe- 
daria, I rode up to a little way-side venda, and my inquiries were 
answered very satisfactorily in French. The same man I saw upon 
354* 



A Zigzag Road. 355 

my return, and learned from him that he came to Brazil twenty 
years ago under the impression that gold was as plentiful as paving- 
stones. He directed me to an inn kept by a German beyond the 
bridge. Having given my name at the Registro, and having paid a 
slight toll, I clattered over, and was soon at the house of the Ger- 
man. I felt half inclined to push onward over the mountains, so as 
to make San Paulo before mid-day of the morrow. I however con- 
cluded to refresh myself and horse, and gave orders for supper 
The refreshment, so far as sleep was concerned, was a minus quan- 
tity, and at an early hour I was astride my steed and on my way 
up the Serra. The road which traverses this range of mountains 
is probably the finest in Brazil, with the exception of the Imperial 
highway to Petropolis. When Dr. Kidder visited this portion of 
the Empire, there existed a very excellent road, made at great ex- 
pense; yet, owing to its steepness, it was perfectly impassable for 
carriages. His description of that route is as follows : — 

" It embraces about four miles of solid pavement and upward of 
one hundred and eighty angles in its zigzag course. The accom- 
plishment of this great work of internal improvement was esteemed 
worthy of commemoration as a distinguished event in the colonial 
history of Portugal. This appears from a discovery made on my 
return. Halting on the peak of the Serra, my attention was drawn 
to four wrought stones, apparently imported. They corresponded 
in size and form to the mile-stones of the United States, and had 
fallen prostrate. One lay with its face downward, so embedded in 
the earth as to be — to me at least — immovable. From the others, 
having removed with the point of my hammer the moss and rubbish 
by which the tracery of the letters was obscured, I deciphered as 
follows : — 

"MARIA I. REGINA, 

NESTE ANNO, 1790. 



OMNIA VINCIT AMOR SVBDITORVM. 



FES SE ESTE CAMINHO NO FELIS GOVER- 

NO DO ILL E EX BERNARDO JOSE DE 

LORENO, GENERAL DESTA 

CAPITANIA. 



356 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

" A solid pavement up this mountain-pass was rendered essential 
from the liability of the road to injury by the continued tread of 
animals, and also from torrents of water which are frequently pre- 
cipitated down and across it in heavy rains. Notwithstanding the 
original excellence of the work, maintained as it had been by 
frequent repairs, we were obliged to encounter some gullies and 
slides of earth, which would have been thought of fearful magni- 
tude had they not been rendered insignificant in comparison with 
the heights above and the deep ravines which ever and anon 
yawned beneath precipitous embankments. At these points a few 
false steps of the passing animal would have plunged both him and 
his rider beyond the hope of rescue. Our ascent was rendered 
more exciting by meeting successive troops of mules. There would 
first be heard the harsh voice of the tropeiros urging along their 
beasts, and sounding so directly above as to seem issuing from 
the very clouds : presently the clattering of hoofs would be dis- 
tinguished, and at length would be seen the animals, erectis 
auribus, as they came borne almost irresistibly down by their 
heavy burdens. It was necessary to seek some halting-place 
while the several divisions of the troop passed by, and soon their 
resounding tread and the echoing voice of the guides would be 
lost in the thickets beneath." 

The above description of the road was strictly true fifteen years 
ago; but now, by judicious engineering, the grades are not nearly 
so steep, and at a vast expense the whole is finely macadamized. 
Still, the ascent is too precipitous for heavily-laden carriages. But 
this will soon be remedied. English engineers are surveying a 
route into the interior which may extend as far as the province 
of Goyaz ; and it is the fond hope of the Yergueiros that the time 
is not distant when the coffee of Campinas, Limeira, and Itu will 
be brought upon wheels to Santos. In the engraving the pre- 
sent comparatively greatly-winding highway is in strong contrast 
with the almost perpendicular road made by the early Jesuits 
before the one of which Dr. Kidder speaks. The Jesuits' Koad 
is the dark line seeming to divide the conical mountain into 
equal parts. 

As I pushed up with my sorry-looking steed, the Serra became 
enveloped in mist, so that I could scarcely see a rod before me; but 



The Heaven of the Moon.' 



357 



upon my return the mountains were not only bathed in glorious 
sunlight, but the plains beneath and the distant ocean seemed 
brought near, as by magic. There was a wildness and sublimity 
in the landscape which I have not seen surpassed in the vicinity of 
Eio de Janeiro. From the summit of the mountain the dark and 
rugged gorges were not even clothed with the abundant foliage 
which is found everywhere else. Streams burst forth from some 
of the loftiest peaks, and thundered down into the deep ravines 
beneath. 




THE BRIDGE AND SESRA DO CUBITAO, 



The Jesuit Yasconcellos made the ascent of this Serra two hun- 
dred years ago, and his description of the scenery is sketched with 
a masterly hand; but his estimate of the altitude was certainly 
extraordinary : — 

"The greater part of the way you have not to travel, but to get 
oq with hands and feet, and by the roots of trees; and this among 
such crags and precipices, that I confess my flesh trembled when I 
looked down. The depth of the valleys is tremendous, and the 
number of mountains, one above another, seems to leave no hope 
of reaching the end. When you fancy you are at the summit of 
one, you find yourself at the bottom of another of no less magni- 
tude. True it is, that the labor of ascent is recompensed from time 



858 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

to time; for when I seated myself upon one of these rocks, and 
cast my eyes below, it seemed as though I was looking down from 
the heaven of the moon, and that the whole globe of earth lay 
beneath my feet. A sight of rare beauty for the diversity of 
prospect, of sea and land, plains, forests, and mountain-tracks, all 
various, and beyond measure delightful. This ascent, broken with 
shelves of level, continues till you reach the plains of Piratininga, 
in the second region of the air, where it is so thin that it seems as 
if those who newly arrive could never breathe their fill." 

Dr. Kidder thus criticizes Yasconcellos : — 

"The last sentence is as erroneous as the preceding are graphic 
and beautiful. I should not, however, deem it necessary to correct 
the statement, had not Southey, upon its authority, represented 
this ascent to continue eight leagues to the very site of S. Paulo, 
which is upon the plains of Piratininga. The truth is, that from 
the summit of the Serra, before stated to be three thousand feet 
above the sea, the distance to S. Paulo is about thirty miles, over a 
country diversified with undulations, of which the prevailing 
declination, as shown by the course of streams, is inland. Never- 
theless, so slight is the variation from a general level, that the 
highest point within the city of S. Paulo is estimated to be pre- 
cisely the same altitude with the summit mentioned. What incon- 
venience would be experienced from rarefaction of the atmosphere 
at such an elevation may be easily determined." 

It however appears to me that the estimated altitude of the 
Serra, made by the good frade Yasconcellos, was a just one accord- 
ing to his standard; for, even considering that he did not have the 
asthma, to go up a steep mountain, ("the heaven of the moon" 
in elevation,) not by travelling, "but to get on with hands and 
feet, and by the roots of trees, and this among such crags and 
precipices," was assuredly sufficient to make one pant and feel 
as if he were "in the second region of the air" and "could never 
breathe his fill." I once encountered a tall, lank Californian on 
the Isthmus of Panama. It was at the end of a hot and sultry 
day: the pedestrian gold-digger had set his face toward the Pa- 
cific, while I was seeking the port of Aspinwall. I accosted him, 
and inquired the distance to Obispo, (at that time the terminus of 
the Panama Eailway.) "Stranger," said he, "they call it five 



Mules and Muleteers. 359 

miles ; but I can assure you that it is about five hundred, for I never 
have been so tired in all my life." He estimated distance as Frado 
Vasconcellos estimated the altitude of the Serra de Cubatao. 

Having once attained the summit of the mountain, I galloped 
over the upland plains, feeling more uncomfortable from the cold 
than ever before in Brazil. At ten o'clock I reached the hotel of 
M. Lefevre, a Frenchman from Koussillon, at whose well-provided 
table my chilliness was soon removed. 

The plains between this and San Paulo, where there was no cul- 
tivation, were dotted by termite-ant-hills of such a size and form 
as to remind one of the pictures of a Hottentot village. In some 
places the industrious little creatures had literally ploughed up 
the ground for many yards around. The earth composing the 
outer shell of these insect-habitations becomes so indurated by 
the action of the sun that they retain their original erect position 
and oval form for scores of years. 

The country over which I passed, save that the earth has a 
marked ferruginous appearance, resembles what are called the 
" oak-openings" of the western parts of the United States. In 
the vicinity of the village of San Bernardo there are considerable 
plantations of coffee and Chinese tea 

I was constantly meeting with troops of mules laden with coffee, 
on their way to Santos, or passing others returning from the sea- 
board to the interior. It may be here remarked, that ordinary 
transportation to and from the coast is accomplished with no incon- 
siderable regularity and system, notwithstanding the manner. 
Many planters keep a sufficient number of beasts to convey their 
entire produce to market; others do not, but depend more or less 
upon professional carriers. Among these, each troop is under 
charge of a conductor, who superintends its movements and 
transacts its business. They generally load down with sugar and 
other agricultural products, conveying, in return, salt, flour, and 
every variety of imported merchandise. I was informed that two 
hundred thousand mules annually arrived with their burdens at 
Santos. A gentleman who had for many years employed these con- 
ductors in the transmission of goods stated that he had seldom or 
never known an article fail to reach its destination. 

The Paulista tropeiros, as a class, differ very much from the 



360 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Mineiros and conductors that visit Eio de Janeiro. They have a 
certain wildness in their look, which, mingled with intelligence 
and sometimes benignity, gives to their countenance altogether a 
peculiar expression. They universally wear a large pointed knife, 
twisted into their girdle behind. This faca de ponta is perhaps 
more essential to them than the knife of the sailor is to him. It 
serves to cut wood, to mend harnesses, to kill and dress an animal, 
to carve food, and, in case of necessity, to defend or to assault. 
Its blade has a curve peculiar to itself, and, in order to be approved, 
must have a temper that will enable it to be struck through a thick 
piece of copper without bending or breaking. This, being a favorite 
companion, is often mounted with a silver handle, and sometimes 
encased in a silver sheath, although it is generally worn naked, 
Many foreigners (among them Englishmen) have purchased these 
knives to take home as curiosities, not knowing that they were 
manufactured in Great Britain or in the northeastern part of 
France. Lady Emeline Stewart Wortley, in her interesting gossip- 
ing letters from the New World, states that she procured in Peru, 
as a great curiosity, a poncho of the country, so that she might 
show to her friends in England the peculiar costume and the manu- 
factures of the people who are descended from Castilian adven- 
turers and the subjects of Atahualpa. Before leaving South 
America, some kind friend engaged in commerce, not wishing Lady 
Emeline to be duped, broke her pleasant delusion by informing her 
that the poncho in question was from the looms of Scotland. It 
might also be mentioned that many of the beautiful water-vases 
seen by foreigners at Bio de Janeiro are manufactured at the pot- 
teries in Staffordshire, and are sent out in large quantities to South 
America. The mysteries of the supply of distant countries with 
the productions considered as peculiar to those lands would form 
a curious book, far more interesting than the " blue-books" of Old 
England, or the annual " Commerce and Navigation" issued from 
the United States financial department.* 



* Paper manufactured in New England bears the stamp "Bath Post" and " Paris." 
Large establishments near New York import labels and wrapping-paper from France, 
to put in and around hats which go over the Union as made on the banks of the 
Seine. Staffordshire not only makes water-vases supposed in South America to 



*jMk i 




Entrance to San Paulo. 361 

Before the sun had set, I saw in the distance the city of San 
Paulo. Its elevated position on a small table-land that springs up 
from the plain, and its many towers and steeples and old conventual 
buildings, give it an appearance far more imposing than a town of 
greater population. Before ascending the hill, I passed the pavi- 
lion erected on the margin of the Ypiranga to commemorate the 
declaration of Brazilian independence which was emphatically^ 
made by Dom Pedro I. when (September 7, 1822) in this place he 
exclaimed " Independencia ou Morte!" Such a spot should be hal- 
lowed in the thought of every Brazilian, as well as memorable 
throughout the world; and it is therefore not much to the credit 
of Brazil or to the province of San Paulo, fertile in patriots, that a 
more fitting monument, of " enduring brass or marble," has not 
hitherto been erected commemorative of an event of such vast 
national interest. 

Eventide was setting in as I splashed through a stream, the first 
of the La Platan affluents that I had crossed; and I soon ascended 
to the city. When I entered the first street, I felt more convinced 
than ever that I was south of the tropic of Capricorn; for, though 
verdure unchanging can be seen everywhere, yet in the nights of 
June (which answers to December in the northern hemisphere) 
there is experienced a chilliness which renders overcoats comfort- 
able. Mine had been left behind by accident, and not only my 
feelings told me of its absence, but, beholding several law-students 
well cloaked, I was forcibly reminded of my carelessness and my 
consequent suffering. I fell into conversation with the young 
"limbs of the law," and found them exceedingly affable and com 
municative, as they kindly guided me to the hotel of Senhor C. 
Observing a large convent near at hand, I remarked that a new 
country like Brazil had little need of a body of monks and friars. 
I was somewhat surprised at the earnest and ready reply of one, 
who, apparently uttering the sentiments of the party, said, "No, 
Senhor, we need none of them: they are a lazy set; and we 
approve of what King Victor Emanuel has recently done in regard 

have been manufactured on the spot, but drives a good trade with statues of the 
Virgin, supposed to be the production of Italy and France, where they adorn so 
many houses of the peasantry. 



362 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

to convents/' Brazil has few monks in her splendid conventual 
buildings, and those few, with the exception of the Italian Capu- 
chins, are indolent, luxurious, and licentious. The many edifices 
already secularized are used for state arsenals, provincial palaces, 
libraries, hospitals, &c. 

I could not but contrast my introduction to S. Paulo with the 
entrance of Mawe, who more than half a century ago made the 
acquaintance of the same city. In my case I rode into town and 
went to the hotel in the same manner as I would have done in 
Boston, Liverpool, or Geneva. But Mr. Mawe's experience with 
Brazil was immediately succeeding the opening of the country by 
royal decree in 1808. In his very readable "Travels" he says, 
"Our appearance at S. Paulo excited considerable curiosity among 
all descriptions of people, who seemed by their manner never to 
have seen an Englishman before. The very children testified their 
astonishment, — some by running away, others by counting our fin- 
gers and exclaiming that we had the same number as they. Many 
of the good citizens invited us to their houses, and sent for their 
friends to come and look on us. As the dwelling we occupied was 
very large, we were frequently entertained by crowds of young 
persons of both sexes who came to see us eat and drink. It was 
gratifying to us to perceive that this general wonder subsided into 
a more social feeling: we met with civil treatment everywhere, and 
found great pleasure in a more refined and polished company than 
we had seen in the Spanish settlements.'" 

Though San Paulo is still distinguished for its "refined and 
polished" society, it is hard at this day to conceive of the curiosity 
at seeing strangers which must have been one of the direct con- 
sequences of Portugal's Japanese policy toward the colony of Brazil. 

S. Paulo is situated between two small streams upon an elevation 
of ground, the surface of which is very uneven. Its streets are 
narrow, and not laid out with regard to system or general regu- 
larity. They have narrow side-walks, and are paved with a ferru- 
ginous conglomerate closely resembling old red sandstone, but dif- 
fering from that formation by containing larger fragments of 
quartz, — thus approaching breccia. 

Some of the buildings are constructed of this stone; but the 
material more generally used in the construction of houses is the 



Taipa Houses. 363 

common soil, which, being slightly moistened, can be laid up into 
a solid wall. The method is to dig down several feet, as would be 
done for the foundation of a stone house, then to commence filling 
in with the moistened earth, which is beaten as hard as possible. 
As the wall rises above ground, a frame of boards or planks is made 
to keep it in the proper dimensions, which curbing is moved up- 
ward as fast as may be necessary, until the whole is completed. 
These walls are generally very thick, especially in large buildings. 
They are capable of receiving a handsome finish within and with- 
out, and are usually covered by projecting roofs, which preserve 
them from the effect of rains. Although this is a reasonable pre- 
caution, yet such walls have been known to stand more than a 
hundred years without the least protection. Under the influence 
of the sun they become indurated, and are like one massive brick, 
impervious to water, while the absence of frost promotes their 
stability. 

From San Paulo I wrote to one of my friends at Kio a letter, 
from which I take the following extracts : — 

" June 26. 

"I am in a cold room, — rsuch cold as 1 have not before ex- 
perienced in Brazil. The moon is shining coldly; men creep 
about in cloaks, (I wish I had one,) and the only thing that 
possesses caloric is the candle which throws its dim light upon this 
paper. I ought, however, to except the stirring strain of a distant 
bugle, that really fills the night-air with a warming melody. 

" Here I am stopped, because people do nothing d'appressado 
(in a hurry) in Brazil. I put my two boxes ashore at Santos on 
the 14th, and they were not sent forward until the 23d; and 
to-day I passed the rancho where the troop encamped last night. 
This evening they have reached a point two miles beyond San 
Paulo, — at which rate they will attain their destination — Limeira 
— about the 14th of July, the day on which I hope to sail from 
Rio for the northern provinces. But if possible I shall hire extra 
mules, overtake my boxes, transfer them to my animals, and push 
on so as to reach the colony of Yergueiro (more than one hundred 
miles from here) by Saturday night. 

"Tell Senhor Fernando Eocha that his friend, Senhor Seraphim, 
has been most useful and kind to me, running over the whole town 



364 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

to procure for me the requisite animals. Do you think that an 
American or an English merchant would have done as much, late 
at night, for a stranger three hours after his arrival ? 

" I fear you will find me quite complaining, and place me in the 
category of those travellers who, like Smollett, were always scold- 
ing and grumbling about the inconveniences of the country in 
which they were l voyaging.' I assure you that I take things as 
much like a philosopher as possible, — eating all kinds of food in 
all sorts of places, and sleeping where I would have scruples about 
making a daylight examination. Fancy, I slept, or at least at- 
tempted it, last night in a dirty German hospedaria, with a wild 
parrot overhead and my Calmuck horse haltered just the other side 
of a thin partition : so, between the music of one biting his chain, 
and the other crunching his milho, (Indian corn,) I got a very small 
share of ' nature's sweet restorer.' 

"Yesterday 1 left Santos, although I was informed that it was 
impossible to start for the interior the same day that I arrived ; 
yet my kind friends, the Yergueiros, enabled me to keep my word 
which I gave on board the steamer, to the effect that night should 
see me on my way. To-day I rode thirty-two miles, which you 
know, as Paulistas travel, is a good day's journey. As I drew near 
to San Paulo and gazed upon the green prairies dotted by herds, 
the white houses surrounded by trees, and in the background the 
distant mountains, I seemed to behold, as in years gone by, the 
like scenes of Burgundy, Piedmont, and Northumberland. 

"I felt a more profound respect for San Paulo than for any South 
American city that I have yet visited. It was larger than I anti- 
cipated, and its houses, with their overhanging eaves, give it an 
appearance not unlike that of Yevay, on the Lake of Geneva. 
These eaves, I should say, extend over the streets five or six feet, 
protecting the passers-by from the rain and sun, and giving a Swiss 
picturesqueness to the whole. 

"My feelings of respect, however, arose not from the size of the 
city, nor from its picturesqueness, but because there is a more in- 
tellectual and a less commercial air about the people than you see 
elsewhere in Brazil. You do not hear the word dinheiro constantly 
ringing in your ear, as at Eio de Janeiro. There are no less than 
five hundred law-students in the legal college here established, and 



The Law-Students. 365 

their appearance really recalls the Dane law-school of Harvard 
University and the students of Heidelberg. The genus student is 
the same the world over, — full of pranks, fun, and mischief. The 
week of my arrival, several scores of these fellows had ' kicked up 
a row' (as one of them elegantly expressed it) at the theatre, so 
that the President of the province ordered a strong police-force to 
be present at the next representation, and it was not without dif- 
ficulty that order was preserved. 

"In entering the city, I fell in with a number of these young 
legalists, who conducted me to the hotel where many of their 
classmates were whiling away their time at billiards; and, judging 
from the sound of rolling balls and -lucky hits' at this late hour, 
one would suppose they will have little opportunity for preparing 
their morning lesson. The hotel-keeper is a young Brazilian, 

educated at ~'s, in JSTova Fribourgo, and speaks very good English. 

He has too many projects, however, to succeed. His last plan is 
to establish a sort of Surrey Zoological Gardens, for concerts, exhi- 
bitions, and recreation generally, at Eio de Janeiro. His chosen 
spot for this purpose is on the Praia Yermelha, not far from the 
Sugar-Loaf. Speaking of gardens, I am reminded of plantations, 
and will only say that to-day I saw immense plantations of what I 
had first supposed to- be coffee, but which proved to be genuine 
Chinese 'green tea.' 

"But now to bed: if rolling billiard-balls will let me sleep, I will 
be refreshed for the journey of to-morrow. 

"P.S. Wednesday morning. — I have a horse, a conductor, and 
two mules, and shall be off in a few moments. You will next hear 
from me at Limeira." 

Note for 1879. — Sao Paulo is to-day the most favored of all the provinces in 
respect to railway facilities, having more than 1000 kilometres in full operation. 
The first constructed was the railroad from Santos to Jundiahy. The great diffi- 
culty for this road was the almost perpendicular wall of the Serra do Cubitao, 
which was only overcome by a series of inclined planes, up which the cars are 
drawn by stationary engines. This road, under Mr. Pox, an eminent English 
engineer, has been a great success in every point of view. There are no less than 
six different companies, whose roads reach the most fertile parts of the province. 
I regret to add that the American engineer, Mr. Dully, who with so much energy 
directed the construction of the " Paulista " railways, died of yellow fever, October, 
1878. 



CHAPTEK XX. 

HISTORY OF SAN PAULO — TERRESTRIAL PARADISE — REVERSES OF THE JESUITS — 
ENSLAVEMENT OF THE INDIANS — HISTORICAL DATA — THE ACADEMY OF LAWS — 
COURSE OF STUDY — DISTINGUISHED MEN — THE ANDRADAS — JOSE" BONIFACIO — 
ANTONIO CARLOS — ALVARES MACHADO — VERGUEIRO — BISHOP MOURA — A VISIT 
TO FEIJO — PROPOSITION TO ABOLISH CELIBACY — AN INTERESTING BOOK — THE 
DEATH OF ANTONIO CARLOS DE ANDRADA — HIGH EULOGIUM — MISSIONARY 
EFFORTS IN SAN PAULO — EARLY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE — 
HOSPITALITIES OF A PADRE — ENCOURAGEMENTS — THE PEOPLE — PROPOSITION TO 
THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY — RESPONSE — RESULT — ADDENDA — PRESENT ENCOU- 
RAGEMENTS. 

The history of San Paulo takes us back to an early period in the 
settlement of the New World by Europeans. It has already been 
remarked that, in 1531, Martin Affonso de Souza founded S.Yicente, 
the first town in the captaincy, which for a long time bore the 
same appellation. There had previously been shipwrecked on the 
coast an individual by the name of Joao Eamalho, who had ac- 
quired the language of the native tribes and secured influence 
among them by marrying a daughter of one of their principal 
caciques. Through his interposition, peace was secured with the 
savages and the interests of the colony were fostered. By degrees 
the settlement extended itself inland, and in 1553 some of the 
Jesuits who accompanied Thome de Souza, the first captain-general, 
found their way to the region styled the plains of Piratininga, and 
selected the elevated locality on which the city now stands, as the 
site of a village, in which they commenced to gather together and 
instruct the Indians. 

Having erected a small mud cottage on the spot where their 

college was subsequently built, they proceeded to consecrate it by 

a mass, recited on the 25th of January, 1554. That, being the day 

on which the conversion of St. Paul is celebrated by the Koman 

Church, gave the name of the apostle to the town, and subsequently 
366 



A Terrestrial Paradise. 367 

to the province. St. Paul is still considered the patron saint of 
both. A confidential letter, written by one of these Jesuits to his 
brethren in Portugal, in addition to many interesting particulars 
on other subjects, contains the following passage, which may serve 
to show how the country appeared to those who saw it nearly three 
hundred years ago. This letter exists in a manuscript book taken 
from the Jesuits at the time of their expulsion from Brazil, and 
still preserved in the National Library at Eio de Janeiro. Its date 
is 1560. No part of it is known to have been hitherto rendered 
into English previous to the translation made by Eev. Dr. Kidder. 

"For Christ's sake, dearest brethren, I beseech you to get rid of 
the bad idea you have hitherto entertained of Brazil: to speak the 
truth, if there were a paradise on earth, I would, say it now existed 
here. And if I think so, 1 am unable to conceive who will not. 
Bespecting spiritual matters and the service of God, they are 
prospering, as I have before told you; and as to temporal affairs, 
there is nothing to be desired. Melancholy cannot be found here, 
unless you dig deeper for it than were the foundations of the palace 
of S. Boque. There is not a more healthy place in the world, nor 
a more pleasant country, abounding as it does in all kinds of fruit 
and food, so as to leave me no desire for those of Europe. If in 
Portugal you have fowls, so do we in abundance, and very cheap; 
if you have mutton, we here have wild animals, whose flesh is 
decidedly superior; if you have wine there, I aver that I find my- 
self better off with such water as we have here than with the 
wines of Portugal. Do you have bread, so do I sometimes, and 
always what is better, since there is no doubt but that the flour of 
this country (mandioca) is more healthy than your bread. As to 
fruits, we have a great variety; and, having these, I say let any 
one eat those of the old country who likes them. "What is more, 
in addition to yielding all the year, vegetable productions are so 
easily cultivated (it being hardly necessary to plant them) that 
nobody can be so poor as to be in want. As to recreations, yours 
are in no way to be compared with what we have here. 

"Now, I am desirous that some of you should come out and put 
these matters to the test; since I do not hesitate to give my opinion, 
that, if any one wishes to live in a terrestrial paradise, he should 
not stop short of Brazil. Let him that doubts my word come and 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 

see. Some will say, What sort of a life can that man lead who 
sleeps in a hammock swung up in the air ? Let me tell them, they 
have no idea what a fine arrangement this is. I had a bed with 
mattresses, but, my physician advising me to sleep in a hammock, I 
found the latter so much preferable, that I never have been able to 
take the least satisfaction, or rest a single night, upon a bed since. 
Others may have their opinions, but these are mine, founded upon 
experience/ 7 

The Jesuits, unhappily, did not find this paradise to be perennial. 
Their benevolence, and their philanthropic devotedness to the In- 
dians, brought down upon them the hatred of their countrymen, 
the Portuguese, and of the Mamalucos, as the half-breeds were 
denominated. These two classes commenced at an early day the 
enslavement of the aboriginals, and they continued it through suc- 
cessive generations, with a ferocious and bloodthirsty perseverance 
that has seldom found parallel. As the Jesuits steadfastly opposed 
their cruelties, the Portuguese resorted to every means of annoy- 
ance against them. They ridiculed the savages for any compliance 
with the religious formalities in which they were so diligently in- 
structed, — encouraging them to continue in their heathen vices, and 
even in the abominations of cannibalism. Nevertheless, these mis- 
sionaries did not labor without considerable success. The Govern- 
ment was on their side, but was unable to protect them from the 
persecutions of their brethren, who, although calling themselves 
Christians, were as insensible to the fear of God as they were 
regardless of the rights of men. From the pursuit of their ima- 
gined interest, nothing could deter them but positive force. As the 
Indians were driven back into the wilds of the interior, through 
fear of the slave-hunters, the Jesuits sought them out, and carried 
to them the opportunities of Christian worship and instruction. It 
was thus that a commencement was made to the celebrated Eeduc- 
tions of Paraguay, which occupy so wide a space in the early 
history of South America. Sometimes the Paulistas would dis- 
guise themselves in the garb of the Jesuits, in order to decoy the 
natives whom they wished to capture. At other times they as- 
saulted the Reductions, or villages of neophytes, boasting that the 
priests were very serviceable in thus gathering together their 
prey. 



Historical Data. 369 

Voluntary expeditions of these slave-hunters, styled bandeiras, 
spent months, and sometimes years, in the most cruel and deso- 
lating wars against the native tribes. Instigated by the lust of 
human plunder, some penetrated into what is now the interior of 
Eolivia on the west ; while others reached the very Amazon on the 
north. As the Indians became thinned off by these remorseless 
aggressions, another enterprise presented itself as a stimulant to 
their avarice. It was that of hunting for gold. Success in the 
latter enterprise created new motives for the prosecution of the 
former. Slaves must be had to work the mines. Thus, the exter- 
mination of the native tribes of Brazil progressed, for scores of 
years, with fearful rapidity. One result of these expeditions was 
an enlargement of the territories of Portugal and an extension 
of settlements. By the growth of these settlements four large 
provinces were populated. They have since been set oif from that 
of S. Paulo, in the following order : — Minas-Geraes, in 1720 ; Eio 
Grande do Sul, in 1738; Goyaz and Matto Grosso, in 1748. 

During the period when Portugal and her colonies were under 
the dominion of Spain, a considerable number of Spanish families 
became inhabitants of the captaincy of S. Paulo; and when, in 
1640, that dominion came to an end, a numerous party disposed 
itself to resist the Government of Portugal. They proceeded to 
proclaim one Amador Bueno, king; but this individual had the 
sagacity and patriotism peremptorily to decline the dignity his 
friends were anxious to confer upon him. The Paulistas have 
been subsequently second to none in their loyalty to the legitimate 
Government of the country ; unless, indeed, the unhappy disturb- 
ances that occurred among them in the years 1841-42 be con- 
sidered as forming an exception to this remark. It is now one 
of the most prosperous provinces of the Empire. 

My colleague remained many days in the provincial capital, and 
gives the following account of its institutions and great men : — 

"The Academy of Laws, or, as it is frequently denominated, the 
University of S. Paulo, ranks first among all the literary institu- 
tions of the Empire. I enjoyed an excellent opportunity for visit- 
ing it, being introduced by the secretary and acting president, Dr. 
Brotero. This gentleman — whose lady is a native of the United 

States — deserves honorable mention, not only for the zeal and 

24 



370 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ability with which he administers the affairs of the institution 
of which he has since become the president, but also as an author. 
He has published a standard work on the Principles of Natural 
Law, and a treatise upon Maritime Prizes. 

" The edifice of the Curso Juridico was originally constructed as 
a convent by the Franciscan monks, whom the Government com- 
pelled to abandon it for its present more profitable use. Being 
larger and well built, a few alterations rendered it quite suitable 
to the purposes for which it was required. The lecture and recita- 
tion rooms are on the first floor, the professors' rooms and library 
on the second ; these, together with an ample court-yard, compose 
the whole establishment, save two immense chapels still devoted 
to their original design. In one of these I found several very 
decent paintings, and also an immense staging, upon which work- 
men were engaged finishing the stucco-work upon the principal 
arch of the vaulted roof. Both chapels abounded with mytho- 
logical representations of the patron saint, both in images and 
colors. The library of the institution, containing seven thousand 
volumes, is composed of the collection formerly belonging to the 
Franciscans, a part of which was bequeathed to the convent by the 
Bishop of Madeira ; the library of a deceased bishop of S. Paulo ; 
a donation of seven hundred volumes from the first director ; and 
some additions ordered by the Government. It was not over- 
stocked with books upon law or belles-lettres, and was quite defi- 
cient in the department of science. The only compensation for 
such deficiencies was a superabundance of unread and unreadable 
tomes on theology. Among all these, however, there was not to 
be found a single copy of the Bible — the fountain of all correct 
theology — in the vernacular language of the country; a rarer 
volume than which, at least in former years, could scarcely have 
been mentioned at S. Paulo. This particular deficiency I had the 
happiness of supplying by the donation of Pereira's Portuguese 
translation, bearing this inscription : — 

"A0 bibliotheca da academia juridica de S. PAULO 

DA SOCIEDADE BIBLICA AMERICANA 
PELO SEU CORRESPONDENTE 

^ o n DP. Kidder. 

Cidadb de S. Paulo, -» 

15 de Fev'o de 1839. j 



The Academy of Laws. 371 

"The history and statistics of the institution were kindly com- 
municated to me by the secretary, in a paper, from which the 
following abstract is translated : — 

"The Academy of the Legal and Social Sciences of the city of 
S. Paulo was created by a law dated August 11, 1827. It was for- 
mally opened, by the first professor, Dr. Jose Maria de Avellar 
Brotero, on the 1st day of March, 1828, — Lieutenant-General Jose 
Arouche de Toledo Rendon being first director. 

"The statutes by which it is governed were approved by law, 
November 7, 1831. 

"The studies of the preparatory course are — Latin, French, 
English, Rhetoric, Rational and Moral Philosophy, Geometry, His- 
tory, and Geography. 

"The regular course extends through five years. The several 
professorships are thus designated : — 

"First Year. — 1st professorship, Philosophy of Law, Public Law, 
Analysis of the Constitution of the Empire, and Roman Law. 

"Second Year. — 1st professorship, Continuation of the above sub- 
jects, International Law, and Diplomacy; 2d professorship, Public 
Ecclesiastical Law. 

"Third Year. — 1st professorship, Civil Laws of the Empire; 
2d professorship, Criminal Laws, Theory of the Criminal Process. 

"Fourth Year. — 1st professorship, Continuation of Civil Law ; 
2d professorship, Mercantile and Maritime Law. 

"Fifth Year. — 1st professorship, Political Economy; 2d professor- 
ship, Theory and Practice of General Law, adapted to the Code of 
the Empire. 

"The age of sixteen years and an acquaintance with all the pre- 
paratory studies are requisite in order to enter the regular course. 
No student can advance without having passed a satisfactoiy 
examination on the studies of the preceding year. When the 
examinations of the fifth year are passed acceptably, the Academy 
confers the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and every Bachelor is 
entitled to present theses on which to be examined as a candidate 
for the degree of Bachelor of Laws. 

"In examinations on the course, students are interrogated by 
three professors for the space of twenty minutes each. Com- 
petitors for the Doctorate are required to argue upon their 



372 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

theses with nine professors successively, each discussion lasting 
half an hour. At the end of each examination, the professors, 
by secret ballot, determine the approval or rejection of the 
candidate. 

"In order to explain the peculiarities of the above course of 
study, it should be remarked that, in its arrangement, the Uni- 
versity of Coimbra was followed as a model. The education im- 
parted by it may be formal and exact in its way, but can never be 
popular. The Brazilian people look more to utility than to the 
antiquated forms of a Portuguese university; and I apprehend it 
will be found necessary, ere long, in order to secure students at 
the University of S. Paulo, to condense and modernize the course 
of instruction/' 

In 1855, the prosperity of the Law- Academy was no longer a 
matter of doubt, as at that time there were two hundred and 
ninety-six students in the five classes, and three hundred more in 
the preparatory course, which, by recurring to their list of studies, 
I find (minus the Greek language) to be very similar to the studies 
in most colleges in the United States. Under Senhor Brotero, the 
institution at San Paulo has become exceedingly popular, and, 
doubtless, is far more practical than in the first years of its exist- 
ence. It is here and at the Pernambuco Law-School (which con- 
tains three hundred and twenty students in the regular course) 
that the statesmen of Brazil receive that education which so much 
better fits them for the Imperial Parliament and the various legis- 
lative assemblies of their land than any preparatives that exist in 
the Spanish-American countries. 

"My sojourn at S. Paulo/' continues Dr. Kidder, "was rendered 
increasingly interesting by repeated interviews with several distin- 
guished citizens of the province. One evening, while walking in 
company with several gentlemen in the extensive gardens of Senhor 
Raphael Tobias d'Aguiar, a popular ex-president of the province 
and one of its largest land-proprietors, the conversation turned 
upon the different foreign travellers in Brazil. Mawe was recol- 
lected by some ; but St. Hilaire, the French botanist, enjoyed the 
highest consideration of all, as having accomplished his task in the 
most thorough manner. 

"Senhor Raphael related a very interesting anecdote, communi- 



Distinguished Men. 373 

cated to him by St. Hilaire. A poor man in England, in reading 
the work of Mr. Ma we, had become so enthusiastic with the idea 
of the vegetable and mineral riches of Brazil, that, in order to get 
to the country, he actually came out in the capacity of a servant. 
After reaching Eio de Janeiro, he had by some means found his 
way up the Serras into the interior, where his industrious exer- 
tions had been rewarded with success, and where the botanist 
found him actually possessed of a fortune. 

" Among the distinguished men of S. Paulo, I will first mention 
the Andradas, — three brothers, whose family residence is Santos. 
These brothers were all educated at the University of Coimbra, in 
Portugal, and received the degrees of Doctors in Jurisprudence and 
Philosophy, and the younger that of Mathematics. 

" Jose Bonifacio, the eldest, after his graduation, travelled several 
years in the northern countries of Europe, — devoting himself mean- 
while to scientific researches, the results of which it was his inten- 
tion to publish in Brazil. On his return to Portugal he was created 
Professor of Metallurgy in Coimbra, and of Medicine in Lisbon. 
While engaged in these professorships, he published several trea- 
tises of much merit, among which was a dissertation on 'The 
Necessity of Planting New Forests in Portugal, and particularly 
of Fir-Trees along the Sandy Coasts of the Sea-Shore.' His valor 
was called out by the invasion of Portugal, when he organized and 
headed a body of students who determined to do what they could 
toward repelling the army of Napoleon. In 1819 he returned to 
Brazil in time to take a leading part in the revolution of inde- 
pendence. (He died at Praia Grande in 1838.) 

" Antonio Carlos returned to Brazil soon after having completed 
his education. In the year 1817, while executing the office of 
Ouvidor in Pernambuco, he was arrested as an accomplice of the 
conspirators in a revolt which broke out at that time. He was 
sent to Bahia and thrown into prison, where he remained four 
years. As a proof of his philanthropy as well as of his indomitable 
energy of mind, it must be mentioned that he spent this long 
period almost exclusively in instructing a number of his fellow- 
prisoners in rhetoric, foreign languages, and the elements of 
science. Being at length liberated, he returned to San Paulo, 
where he was shortly afterward elected deputy for that province 



374 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in the Cortes of Lisbon. He assumed his duties in that body, and 
remained in it until the increasing insults and aggravations which 
were heaped upon the Brazilians, without the hope of redress, 
forced him and several of his colleagues, among whom was Feijo, 
to withdraw and embark secretly for England. Having arrived at 
Falmouth, they published a solemn declaration of the motives 
which induced them to desert the Cortes and to quit Lisbon. 
Thence they returned to their native country. 

"Martin Francisco, the younger brother, had won high dis- 
tinctions as a scholar, and, from early life, was the frequent 
subject of political honor. At the first organization of the 
Imperial Government he was created Minister of Finance, and 
in this capacity did the country important service, — his elder 
brother being at the same time Minister of State and of Foreign 
Affairs. At this period the three brothers were all elected mem- 
bers of the Assembly which convened to prepare a Constitution 
for the Empire. 

"Before the discussions of that body were brought to a close, the 
Emperor was induced, by the coalition of two minor parties, to 
dismiss the Andrada Ministry and to appoint Boyalists as their 
successors. The powerful opposition which the brothers imme- 
diately arrayed against those by whom they had been supplanted 
made the position of the new Ministry and that of the Emperor 
also extremely embarrassing. Attacks produced recrimination, 
until the Emperor at length resolved upon the rash and desperate 
expedient of dissolving the Assembly by force, which he succeeded 
in accomplishing, and then apprehended the three brothers Andrada 
and a few others who were leaders of the opposition. They were 
all, without the least examination or trial, conveyed on board a 
vessel nearly ready for sea, and transported to France. 

"Their time in Europe was not idly spent. Already acquainted 
with all the more important modern languages, they devoted them- 
selves to literary pursuits and the society of the learned with all 
the enthusiasm of students. 

"In the year 1828, the two younger brothers returned to Rio, 
and, after a short detention in the prison of the Ilha das Cobras, 
received a full pardon from the Emperor. Jose Bonifacio came out 
in 1829 from France. 



Jose Bonifacio — Antonio Carlos de Andrada. 375 

"The French admiral, who had known him in Europe, sent im- 
mediately to offer him every attention; but Andrada requested 
nim to make no demonstration, as he was very uncertain how he 
might be received. But as soon as the arrival of the ship was 
known, Calmon, the Minister of Finance, went immediately on 
board to offer his congratulations and every kind civility. On 
Andrada's interview with the Emperor, it is said that the latter 
proposed an embrace, and that all the past should be forgotten. 
Andrada replied, with Eoman firmness, that the embrace he would 
most cheerfully give, but to forget the past was impossible. 

"The Emperor then proposed to him to enter into the Ministry, 
but he declined, assuring His Majesty that he only returned to 
Brazil to live in retirement. Nevertheless, Jose Bonifacio, in his 
old age, was the individual to whom the Emperor, on his abdica- 
tion, confided the guardianship of his children. He had then 
proved the faithlessness of many of those officious partisans who 
had urged him forward in his attempted overthrow of the men 
who were his earliest and most devoted friends. The Emperor 
had learned, by painful experience, how to appreciate real 
patriotism. 

"Antonio Carlos and Martin Francisco had no sooner returned 
to their native province, than they were immediately restored by 
their countrymen to important offices, and have ever since retained 
a prominent position in the national councils. They have, more- 
over, continued the same ardent and fearless advocates of their 
principles that they were in early life. 

"It has been said, and perhaps justly, that 'the Andradas, when 
in power, were arbitrary, and, when out of place, factious; but 
their views were ever great, and their probity unimpeachable.' 
Their disinterestedness was manifest, and is deserving of eulogy. 
Title and wealth were within their reach ; but they retired from 
office undecorated, and in honorable poverty. In many of their 
acts they were doubtless censurable ; yet, when the critical circum- 
stances of Brazil at the period are taken into consideration, surely 
some apology may be made for their errors. When old age re- 
quired Jose Bonifacio to withdraw from public business, he retired 
to the beautiful island of Paqueta, in the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. 
He died in 1838 ; and, if there is any one fact that more loudly 



376 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

than another upbraids the lack of literary enterprise in Brazil, it 
is that no memoir of so distinguished an individual has made its 
appearance, or, so far as I could learn from his brothers, was ever 
contemplated. 

"Both Antonio Carlos and Martin Francisco are distinguished, 
powerful orators. The latter is clear, expressive, and chaste in 
his diction ; the former is fluent, impetuous, and sometimes extra- 
vagant. Antonio Carlos is particularly fond of the arena of debate, 
and few questions come before the Provincial or National Assembly 
which are not subjected to the searching analysis of his acute mind 
and to the often-dreaded ordeal of his flaming rhetoric. His speeches 
abound in beautiful illustrations from the French, Spanish, Italian, 
and English poets; and, when discussing questions of jurisprudence 
and diplomacy, his references display a critical acquaintance with 
standard English authors upon those subjects. As a random speci- 
men of his style of eloquence, I will translate a paragraph from his 
speech in the General Assembly at Bio de Janeiro, in 1839, on the 
much-debated question whether foreign troops should be hired to 
compose the standing army of the Empire. 

" After having gone through with an elaborate argument, he 
says, 'lam unwilling to weary the house. I have proved that the 
measure is anti-constitutional, that it is injurious to the dignity 
of Brazil, that it is useless, that it is impolitic, and that it will be 
oppressive to the nation. 

"'Now I must close. It pains me to think that such a measure 
can possibly be approved. Such is the aversion I cherish toward 
it, that I am caused to fear that, if it should pass, some of our 
citizens will wish themselves alienated from the land of their birth; 
alienated, I was about to say, from a degraded nation. But this 
tongue cannot utter such a reproach, nor this heart anticipate 
such an injury, to the Brazilian people. 

"'Every night, when I seek rest upon my humble couch, the 
first act of devotion I render to God is a thankso-ivino; that I was 
born upon this blessed soil, — in a countiy in which innocence and 
liberty were natives, but from which they temporarily fled away 
on the approach of those iron fetters of social bondage which 
Cabral, the accidental discoverer, imported in connection with the 
limited civilization of Portugal. 



Antonio Carlos and Alvares Machado. 377 

u • Eis, descobreis Cabral os Brazis nao buscados, 
C os salgados vestidos gotejando, 
Pesado beijas as douradas pray as, 
E 4s Gentes que te hospedao, ignaras 
Do Vindouro, os grilhoes lancas, 
Miserandos ! Entao a liberdade, 
As azas nao manchadas de baixa tyrannia 
Soltou isenta pelos ares livres. 

w ( So it was an infamous series of oppressive laws and shameful 
proscriptions was imposed upon our poor ancestors, and would 
have rested upon us to-day, had not the grand achievement of our 
national independence set us free ! Allow me to remark a startling 
coincidence. To-morrow will be the anniversary of that indepen- 
dence, — an event ever to be remembered. To-day an effort is made, 
which, if successful, will throw clouds and gloom over it, and thus 
efface the brightest picture in our history. 

"'How is it that we, who were able to shake off the yoke of 
foreign bondage without the aid of mercenary troops, are supposed 
to be incompetent to crush rebellion within our own borders? 
Shameful reflection! Is Bento Gonsalves some European adven- 
turer? JSTo! he is a Brazilian, like us; and least of all can he 
withstand Brazilians. 

"'My heart is overflowing, but my tongue fails to express my 
thoughts. If this measure pass, I shall have nothing left me to 
do but to hide my head, and to weep and sigh, in the language of 
Moore, — 

" 'Alas for my country ! her pride is gone by, 

And that spirit is broken which never would bend : 
O'er the ruin her children in secret must sigh, — 
For 'tis treason to love her, 'tis death to defend.' 

" An intimate friend and political associate of Antonio Carlos is 
Senhor Alvares Machado, another aged Paulista, also celebrated 
for his prompt and often passionate eloquence. A brief extract 
from one of his speeches in the Chamber of Deputies forcibly 
expresses the provincial pride which the Paulistas cherish to- 
gether with their sentiments of independence. 'How/ said he, 
1 can the present administration expect to intimidate us, who never 
succumbed to the founder of the Empire? We spoke the language 



378 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of liberty, of justice, and of truth, to a king and the descendant of 
kings. 

" l On one occasion it was proposed to construct our constitution 
after the monarchial model, and to accomplish this intrigues were 
set on foot in all the provinces. What then was our language? 
"Sire," said we to the monarch, "despotism may be planted in the 
province of S. Paulo, but it will be upon the bones of the last of 
her inhabitants." ? 

" Another prominent member of the provincial legislature of 
S. Paulo was Yergueiro, a Senator of the Empire. This gentle- 
man, a Portuguese by birth, has long been conspicuous in Brazil. 
Previous to the independence of the colony, he was one of the 
deputies to the Cortes of Lisbon, and had there distinguished him- 
self above most of his colleagues for the open and explicit manner 
in which he defended the interests and privileges of the land of his 
adoption. Subsequently, while in the Brazilian Senate, he main- 
tained his reputation as a skilful debater and a sincere friend of 
liberal institutions. During the scenes connected with the abdication 
of the first Emperor, he acted an important part, and, as has 
already been stated, was appointed at the head of the provisional 
Begency. 

"During one of my visits to the Provincial Assembly of S. Paulo, 
this gentleman made a long and interesting speech on the subject 
of the outbreak and disorders at Villa Franca. 

"The sessions of this legislative body are held in an apartment 
of the old College of the Jesuits, which has long since been appro- 
priated to the uses of the Government. My attendance upon its 
deliberations was not very frequent, although several of my visits 
were quite interesting. Probably no provincial legislature in the 
Empire presented a greater array of learning, of experience, and 
of talent, than did this. At the period of which I am speaking, 
Martin Francisco de Andrada occupied the Presidential chair, while 
Senhores Antonio Carlos, Yergueiro, Alvares Machado, Baphael 
Tobias, the Bishops of S. Paulo, of Cuyaba, and Moura, the Bishop- 
elect of Bio de Janeiro, with various other gentlemen of distinction, 
took part in the proceedings. 

"At the close of one of the sessions, I had the pleasure of meet- 
ing several of these gentlemen in a saloon adjoining the hall of 



A Proposition to Recede from Rome. 379 

debates, and of hearing from them the warmest expressions of 
American feeling and of a generous interest in the affairs of the 
United States. 

"Antonio Maria de Moura was considered the special representa- 
tive of the ecclesiastical interests in this legislature. This indi- 
vidual had gained a great degree of notoriety during a few years 
previous. He had been nominated by the Imperial Government to 
fill the vacant bishopric of Eio de Janeiro. The Pope of Eome 
was, for some reasons, displeased with the nomination, and accord- 
ingly refused to consecrate him. This circumstance gave occasion 
for long diplomatic negotiations, and for a time threatened to in- 
terrupt friendly relations between Brazil and the Holy See. For 
several years questions relating to this subject were frequently 
and freely discussed before the National Assembly. During these 
debates expressions were often used not the most complimentary to 
His Holiness, and facts of a startling character were brought to 
view. For example, a reverend padre, in speaking on the subject, 
alluded to a canonical objection to this candidate, which, he said, was 
very generally known, — viz.: the illegitimacy of his birth: 'that, 
however, was a trifling matter, it having been dispensed with in 
the case of two of the actual bishops of the Empire. But this 
gentleman had signed a report declaring against the forced celibacy 
of the clergy, and, when interrogated by His Holiness on the 
subject, had refused to give explanations.'* 

" The longer this subject was discussed, the wider the difference 
seemed to grow. The Pope was unwilling to recede from his 
position, and the Brazilians resolved not to brook dictation from 
the Pope. 

" The proposition to make the Brazilian church independent of 
His Holiness was more than once started, and it was finding 
increased favor with the people. But the question was regarded 
solely in its political bearings. Consequently, it became an object 
for the Government to settle it in the easiest way practicable. On 
the accession of a new ministry, measures were adopted to satisfy 
Moura and to induce him to step out of the way. Accordingly, 



* See Jornal do Commercio, June 30, 1839. 



380 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

he was at length persuaded to waive his claim, and to resign an 
office which he could not be permitted to fill peaceably. The ques- 
tion was then easily disposed of. The Government made another 
nomination, which the Pope approved, — at the same time compli- 
menting the rejected candidate with the title and dignities of 
bishop in partibus infidelium. At tb° time I met him, Padre ^ioura 
did not appear to be over thirty-five years of age. His demeanor 
was affable and his conversation interesting. He was understood 
to be the confidential adviser and assistant of the old Bishop of S. 
Paulo. He had been for a series of years engaged in political 
life, and will probably continue in similar engagements, since they 
will be in no wise inconsistent with the obligations of his office of 
bishop in partibus. . . 

11 I had the honor of more than one interview with the ex-Piegent 
Feijo. The first was in company with an intimate friend of his, in 
the lower room of a large house, where he was staying as a guest, 
in the city of S. Paulo. There were no ceremonies. His reverence 
appeared to have been lying down in an adjoining alcove, and had 
hastily risen. His dress was not clerical. In fact, his garments 
were composed of light striped cotton, and appeared by no means 
new; while his beard was apparently quite too long for comfort in 
so warm a day. He was short and corpulent, about sixty years of 
age, but of a robust and healthful appearance. His countenance 
and cranium bore an intellectual stamp and conveyed a benevolent 
expression, although there might have been something peculiar in 
the look of his eyes, which gave rise to a remark made to me before 
I saw him, that he had 'the physiognomy of a cat.' His conver- 
sation was free and very interesting. My friend mentioned to 
him that I had made several inquiries respecting the customs of the 
clergy and the state of education and religion in the country. He 
proceeded to comment upon these several topics, and expressed no 
little dissatisfaction with the actual state of things, particularly 
among the clergy, He said ' there was scarcely a priest in the 
whole province that did his duty as the Church prescribed it, and 
especially with reference to catechizing children on the Lord's 
day.' 

"He was on the eve of a journey to Itu and Campinas, and, being 
asked when he would set out, replied, Dizem no Domingo, (' Sunday 



Proposition to Abolish Clerical Celibacy. 381 

is talked of;') thus indicating that even he himself had not too high 
a respect for the institution of the Sabbath-day. On another oc- 
casion I called on him at his own house in Eio de Janeiro, while 
he was in attendance on the Senate, of which he was a member, 
and for a long time president. It was in the morning, and I found 
him alone in his parlor, occupied with his breviary; while at the 
same time there lay on the table by which he was sitting a facet de 
ponta, or pointed knife, of the species already described, enclosed 
in a silver sheath. I presented him with copies of some tracts that 
we had just published in the Portuguese language for circulation in 
the country. He received them courteously, and again entered 
into conversation respecting various plans for the religious amelio- 
ration of Brazil. He, however, seemed to have little faith, and less 
spirit, for making further exertions, having been repeatedly baffled 
in his cherished projects for improvement. So little encourage- 
ment, indeed, had he met with from his brethren the clergy, that 
he was inclined to compare some of them to the dog in the manger, 
since they would neither do good themselves, nor allow others to 
do it. 

"Feijo is a remarkable man. Like many others among the Bra- 
zilian clergy, he entered upon a political career in early life, and 
laid aside the practical duties of the priesthood. His abandon- 
ment of the Cortes of Portugal, to which he had been elected in 
the reign of Dom John VI., has already been mentioned. 

"After the establishment of the independent Government of 
Brazil, he became a prominent member of the House of Deputies. 
During a debate in that body he listened to what seems at first to 
have struck him as a very strange proposition, — viz.: 'that the 
clergy of Brazil were not bound by the law of celibacy/ Coming, 
however, as the statement did, from a gentleman of great learning 
and probity, it secured his candid attention. Subsequent reflection, 
while meditating upon the means of reforming the clergy, and 
examining the annals of Christianity, convinced him not only that 
the proposition was correct, but also that the most fruitful source 
of all the evils that affected this important class of men was a 
forced celibacy. Whereupon, as a member of the Committee on 
Ecclesiastical Affairs, he offered to the House his views on the sub- 
ject in the form of a minority report. 



382 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

"In this report he proposed, 'that since celibacy was neither en- 
joined upon the clergy by divine law nor apostolical institutions, 
but, on the contrary, was the source of immorality among them; 
therefore, the Assembly should, revoke the laws that constrained 
it, and notify the Pope of Borne of the necessity of revoking the 
ecclesiastical penalties against clerical matrimony; and, in case 
those were not revoked within a given time, that they should be 
nullified/ 

"As a matter of course, such a report, coming from an ecclesias- 
tic of high standing, excited a great deal of attention. To the 
surprise of many, it was received with great favor by both priests 
and people. This circumstance, together with his own convictions 
of duty, prompted the author to develop his opinions at length 
and in a systematical treatise. Thus originated his celebrated work 
on Clerical Celibacy. From the remarks of a competent critic on 
that work, we select the following : — 'It is really a novelty in the 
literary world. We can, in truth, say no less than this : — that the 
book contains unquestionably the best argument ever advanced, in 
any Papal or Protestant country, against the constrained celibacy 
of priests and nuns. It sets forth all that a Protestant can say, and 
what a Boman Catholic priest, in spite of every early prejudice, is 
constrained to say, against a cruel and unnatural law, enacted 
against the immovable law of the almighty Creator.' 

"The author is master in ancient as well as in modern Catholic 
lore, — in canon law, and in the writings of the fathers; and we 
should be no less amazed than instructed by seeing any one of his 
brother-prelates in America or in Europe come out with any thing 
like a rational answer to 'Feijo's Demonstration of the Neces- 
sity of Abolishing Clerical Celibacy.' 

"Notwithstanding the violent attacks made upon him in con- 
nection with this startling attempt at innovation, yet he was sub- 
sequently elevated to the highest offices in the gift of the nation. 
He was, successively, appointed Minister of State, Begent of the 
Empire, and Senator for life. 

" He was, moreover, elected by the Imperial Government as 
Bishop of Mariana, a diocese which included the rich and important 
province of Minas-Geraes. He, however, did not see fit to accept 
this dignity, but, on resigning his Begency, returned to his planta- 



The Death of Distinguished Men. 383 

tion, a few miles from the city of S. Paulo, where he resided during 
my visit to that part of Brazil. 

"After that period his health declined, and a pension of four 
thousand milreis per annum was conceded to him, in consideration 
of his distinguished services in the past. In 1843 he died." 

Since the above was written by my co-laborer in this work, many 
of the leading men whom he met at San Paulo have gone to their 
rest. Antonio Carlos, Martin Francisco de Andrada, and Alvares 
Machado, are no more. The constitutional Empire which, with 
self-sacrificing toil, they aided in erecting, and for which they suf- 
fered in the crucible of political persecution, exists on a firm foun- 
dation, and their labors are not forgotten, though as yet no lofty 
monument rears its form to tell of their true patriotism. 

Antonio Carlos de Andrada expired on the 5th of December, 
1845, and from the Necrologia in the Annuario do Brazil for 1846 I 
extract the following testimonial to his talent, worth, and states- 
manship. It may be remarked that, if every foreigner who investi- 
gates the character of the deceased finds so much to command 
his admiration, we should pardon the high strain of eulogium pro- 
nounced by his countrymen upon one who, for so many years, nobly 
filled the first places in the gift of the monarch and the people. 

"The Assembled G-eral of 1844 being dissolved, Antonio Carlos de 
Andrada was, in 1845, newly elected Deputy for his native province 
of San Paulo. But he had scarcely been informed of his election 
by the Paulistas, when he heard that he had been chosen Senator 
for Pernambuco, after having also received the popular votes of the 
provinces of Para, Minas, Ceara, and Eio de Janeiro. He took his 
seat thus late in life in the Senate-chamber, — a tardy recompense 
for his great merit. 

"In literature, in Parliament, and in the whole Empire, his death 
left a great void, which will long be felt by all his compatriots. 

"With no other ambition save that of serving his country, — the 
sole glory desired by his generous heart, — he neither desired nor 
sought for honors. 

"The Councillor Carlos Antonio de Andrada was of medium 
height and of a robust constitution : every feature of his face ex- 
pressed genius, feeling, and energy of mind. Of easy and graceful 
manners, mild and jovial in familiar conversation, he rendered 



384 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

himself agreeable to every one who approached hira. Severe for 
himself, he was indulgent to others, and ready to pardon an offence 
or an injustice done to him. He was a devoted friend, and a gene- 
rous adversary to his competitors in public life : he never employed 
his power to injure others, but always to protect the weak. An 
excellent father, a loving husband, the best of brothers, — there was 
not a single domestic virtue which was not found in Antonio 
Carlos !" 

What matters it if to such a man no monumental stone be 

erected ? — 

" The fame is lost which it imparts : 
Who for his dust a tear would claim 
Must write his name on living hearts." 

The conclusion of the eulogy to the deceased statesman is the 
highest encomium that could be pronounced upon a public man in a 
government where, too often, those in power have not scrupled to 
enrich themselves at the expense of the State. 

There is the noblest and most eloquent praise in the simple fact 
and statement, — viz. : "Such was the Councillor Antonio Carlos 
de Andrada: he lived and died poor!" , 

The following details of the missionary efforts of my colleague 
and predecessor will be found, I doubt not, deeply interesting: — 

"Although two hundred years had elapsed since the discovery 
and first settlement of the province of San Paulo, it is not known 
that a Protestant minister of the gospel had ever visited it before. 
Although colonized with the ostensible purpose of converting the 
natives, and subsequently inhabited by scores of monks and priests, 
there is no probability that ever before a person had entered its 
domains, carrying copies of the word of life in the vernacular 
tongue, with the express intent of putting them in the hands of the 
people. 

"It is necessary to remind the reader, that, throughout the entire 
continent to which reference is now made, public assemblies for the 
purpose of addresses and instruction are wholly unknown. The 
people often assemble at mass and at religious festivals, and nearly 
as often at the theatre; but in neither place do they hear principles 
discussed or truth developed. The sermons in the former case are 
seldom much more than eulogiums on the virtues of a saint, with 



Hospitalities of a Padre. 385 

exhortations to follow his or her example. Indeed, the whole sys- 
tem of means by which, in Protestant countries, access is had to 
the public mind, is unpractised and unknown. The stranger, there- 
fore, and especially the supposed heretic, who would labor for the 
promotion of true religion, must expect to avail himself of provi- 
dential openings rather than to rely on previously-concerted plans. 
The missionary, in such circumstances, learns a lesson of great 
practical importance to himself, — to wit, that he should be grateful 
for any occasion, however small, of attempting to do good in the 
name of his Master. The romantic notions which some entertain 
of a mission-field may become chastened and humbled by contact 
with the cold reality of facts; but the Christian heart will not be 
rendered harder, nor genuine faith less susceptible of an entire 
reliance on God. 

"The unexpected friendship and aid of mine aged host at San 
Bernardo, already mentioned, was not a circumstance to be lightly 
esteemed. Scarcely less expected was the provision made for me, 
at the city of S. Paulo, of letters of introduction to gentlemen of 
the first respectability in the various places of the interior which I 
wished to visit. At one of those places, the individual to whom I 
was thus addressed, and by whom I was entertained, was a Roman 
Catholic priest; and it affords me unfeigned satisfaction to say, 
that the hospitality which I received under his roof was just what 
the stranger in a strange land would desire. 

"When on reaching the town where he lived I first called at his 

house, the padre had been absent about two weeks, but was then 

hourly expected to return. His nephew, a young gentleman in 

charge of the premises, insisted on my remaining, and directed my 

guide to a pasture for his mules. In a country where riding upon 

the saddle is almost the only way of travelling, it has become an 

act of politeness to invite the traveller, on his first arrival, to rest 

upon a bed or a sofa. This kindness, having been accepted in the 

present instance, was in due time followed by a warm bath, and 

afterward by an excellent but a solitary dinner. Before my repast 

was ended, a party of horsemen passed by the window, among 

whom was the padre for whom I was waiting. After reading the 

letter which I brought, he entered the room and bade me a cordial 

welcome. He had arrived in company with the ex-Regent Feijo, 

25 



386 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

with whom I had previously enjoyed an interview at the city of S. 
Paulo, and from whom he had received notices of me, as inquiring 
into the religious state of the country. My way was thus made easy 
to introduce the special topic of my mission. On showing me his 
library, — a very respectable collection of books, — he distinguished, 
as his favorite work, Calmet's Bible, in French, in twenty-six 
volumes. He had no Bible or Testament in Portuguese. I told 
him I had heard that an edition was about to be published at Bio, 
with notes and comments, under the patronage and sanction of the 
Archbishop. This project had been set on foot in order to counter- 
act the circulation of the editions of the Bible-societies, but was 
never carried into effect. He knew nothing of it. He had heard, 
however, that Bibles in the vulgar tongue had been sent to Bio de 
Janeiro, as to other parts of the world, which could be procured 
gratis, or for a trifling consideration. Judge of the happy surprise 
with which I heard from his lips that some of these Bibles had 
already appeared in this neighborhood, three hundred miles distant 
from our depository at Bio. His first remark was, that he did not 
know how much good would come from their perusal, on account 
of the bad example of their bishops and priests. I informed him 
frankly that I was one of the persons engaged in distributing these 
Bibles, and endeavored to explain the motives of our enterprise, 
which he seemed to appreciate. 

"He said Catholicism was nearly abandoned here and all the 
world over. I assured him that I saw abundant proofs of its 
existence and influence; but he seemed to consider these 'the 
form without the power.' Our conversation was here interrupted; 
but, having an opportunity to renew it in the evening, I remarked 
that, knowing me to be a minister of religion, he had reason to 
suppose I would have more pleasure in conversing on that subject 
than upon any other. 

"I then told him I did not comprehend what he meant by saying 
that Catholicism was nearly abandoned. He proceeded to explain 
that there was scarcely any thing of the spirit of religion among 
either priests or people. He, being only a diacono, had the privilege 
of criticizing others. He was strong in the opinion that the laws 
enjoining clerical celibacy should be abolished, since the clergy 
were almost all de facto much worse than married, to the infinite 



An Interesting Conversation. 887 

Bcandal of religion; that such was their ignorance that many 
of them ought to sit at the feet of their own people to be in- 
structed in the common doctrines of Christianity; that the spirit 
of infidelity had been of late rapidly spreading, and infecting the 
young, to the destruction of that external respect for religion and 
the fear of God which used to be hereditary. Infidel books were 
common, especially Yolney's 'Bums.' I asked whether things were 
growing better or worse. ' Worse/ he replied; 'worse continually!' 
' What means are taken to render them better?' 'None ! We are 
waiting the interference of Providence.' I told him there were 
many pious persons who would gladly come to their aid if it were 
certain they would be permitted to do the work of the Lord. He 
thought they would be well received if they brought the truth; 
meaning, probably, if they were Eoman Catholics. 

"I asked him what report I should give to the religious world 
respecting Brazil. 'Say that we are in darkness, behind the age, 
and almost abandoned.' 'But that you wish for light V 'That we 
wish for nothing. We are hoping in God, the Father of lights.' 

"I proceeded to ask him what was better calculated to counter- 
act the influence of those infidel and demoralizing works he had 
referred to than the word of God. 'Nothing,' was the reply. 
'How much good, then, is it possible you yourself might do, both 
to your country and to immortal souls, by devoting yourself to the 
true work of an evangelist !' He assented, and hoped that some 
day he should be engaged in it. 

"I had before placed in his hands two or three copies of the New 
Testament, to be given to persons who would receive profit from 
them, and which he had received with the greatest satisfaction. 
I now told him that whenever he was disposed to enter upon the 
work of distributing the Scriptures we could forward them to him 
in any quantity needed. He assured me that he would at any 
time be happy to take such a charge upon himself; that when the 
books were received he would circulate them throughout all the 
neighboring country, and write an account of the manner of their 
disposal. We accordingly closed an arrangement, which subse- 
quently proved highly efficient and interesting. When I showed 
him some tracts in Portuguese, he requested that a quantity of 
them should accompany the remission of Bibles. On my asking 



388 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

how the ex-Kegent and others like him would regard the circula- 
tion of the Scriptures among the people, he said they would rejoice 
in it, and that the propriety of the enterprise would scarcely admit 
of discussion. ' Then/ said I, ' when we are engaged in this work 
we can have the satisfaction to know that we are doing what the 
better part of your own clergy approve.' 'Certainly/ he replied: 
'you are doing what we ought to be doing ourselves.' 

(i Seldom have I spent a night more happily than the one which 
followed, although sleep was disposed to flee from my eyelids. I 
was overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness and providence of 
God, in thus directing my way to the very person out of hundreds 
best qualified, both in circumstances and disposition, to aid in pro- 
moting our great work. This fact was illustrated in the circum- 
stance that, although I had a most cordial letter of introduction to 
the vigario of the same village, which I left at his house, I did not 
see him at all, he happening to be out when I called. To use the 
expression of a gentleman acquainted with the circumstances, 'he 
hid himself,' as though fearing the consequences of an interview, 
and, by not showing at least the customary civilities to a stranger, 
greatly offended the gentleman who had given me the letter. The 
padre whose kindness I experienced had paused in his clerical 
course some years before, and was engaged in the legal profession, 
although he retained his title and character as a priest. In corre- 
spondence with this circumstance, there is scarcely any department 
of civil or political life in which priests are not often found. After 
the second night I was under the necessity of taking leave of him 
in order to pursue my journey. 

"At another village, a young gentleman who had been educated 
in Germany was often in my room, and rendered himself very 
agreeable by his frank and intelligent conversation. He repre- 
sented this to be one of the most religious places in the country, 
having a large number of churches and priests in proportion to 
the population. In one church particularly the priests were un- 
usually strict, and, in the judgment of my informant, quite fana- 
tical. They always wore their distinguishing habit, were correct 
in their moral deportment, required persons belonging to their 
circle to commune very often, and, moreover, discountenanced 
theatres. This latter circumstance was unusual; for, in addition 



How Suicide is Restrained. 

to the clei gy being often present at such amusements, there was 
even in that place the instance of a theatre attached to a church. 

"I introduced to this young gentleman the subject of circulating 
the Bible. He at once acknowledged the importance of the enter- 
prise, and expressed great desires that it should go forward ; saying 
that the Brazilians, once understanding the objects of the friends 
of the Bible, could not but appreciate them in the most grateful 
manner. He proposed to converse with his friends, to see what 
could be done toward distributing copies among them. I put two 
Testaments in his hands as specimens. The next morning he told 
me that, having exhibited them the evening previous to a company 
of young persons, there had arisen a universal demand for them, 
and many became highly urgent not to be overlooked in the distri- 
bution. He consequently repeated his assurance that the sacred 
books would be received with universal delight, and requested a 
number of copies to be sent to his address. I was told that here 
also many of the rising generation had very little respect for reli- 
gion, through the influence of infidel writings and of other causes. 
The apology for almost any license was, 'I am a bad Catholic/ 
The people generally assented to the dogmas of the Church, but 
seldom complied with its requirements, except when obliged to do 
so by their parents or prompted by the immediate fear of death. 
The rules requiring abstinence from meats on Wednesdays and 
Fridays, also during Lent, had been abolished by a dispensation 
from the diocesan bishop for the last six years, and the Provincial 
Assembly had just asked a repetition of the same favor. The deci- 
sion of the bishop had not then transpired, but many of the people 
were expressing a disposition to live as they should list, be it 
either way. 

" Just previous to my visit to this place, a young man of a re- 
spectable family, having sunk his fortune in an attempted specula- 
tion on a newly-arrived cargo of African slaves, had committed 
suicide. It was said to be the first instance of that crime ever 
known in the vicinity, and the result was an unusual excitement 
among all classes. I may here observe, that suicide is exceedingly 
rare throughout the whole of Brazil; and there can be but little 
question that the rules of the Church, depriving its victim of Chris- 
tian burial, have exerted a good influence in investing the subject 



390 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

with a suitable horror and detestation. Would to Heaven a similar 
influence had been exerted against other sins equally damning but 
more insidious ! The very abomination of moral desolation could 
exist in the same community almost unrebuked. 

"At a third village I was entertained by a merchant of truly 
liberal ideas and of unbounded hospitality. He also offered to co- 
operate with me in the circulation of the sacred volumes, not only 
in his own town, but also in the regions beyond. 

"Having accomplished a journey of about two hundred miles 
under very favorable circumstances, I again reached the city of 
S. Paulo. I had not stayed so long in various places as I should 
have been interested and happy to do, in compliance with urgent 
invitations. I had, however, important reasons for not indulging 
my pleasure in this respect. My mind had dwelt intensely upon 
the state of the country, as shown by facts communicated to me 
from various and unexceptionable sources. I had anxiously in- 
quired how something for its good might be accomplished ; whether 
there was any possibility of exceeding the slow and circumscribed 
limits of private personal communication of the truth. Hope, in 
answer, had sprung up in my mind, and was beginning to be 
cherished with fond expectation. 

"From the idea of distributing a couple of dozens of Testaments 
in several schools of the city, I was led to think of the practica- 
bility of introducing the same as reading-books in the schools 
of the whole province. This seemed to be more desirable from the 
fact, universally affirmed, that there then prevailed an almost entire 
destitution of any books for such use in the schools. The Mont- 
pellier Catechism was more used for this purpose than any other 
book ; but it had little efficacy in fixing religious principles upon a 
proper basis, to resist the undermining process of infidelity. 

"Encouraged by the uniform thankfulness of those individuals to 
whom I presented copies, and also by the judgment of all to whom 
I had thought proper to suggest the idea, I had finally resolved to 
offer to the Government, in some approved form, a donation of 
Testaments corresponding in magnitude to the wants of the pro- 
vince. Fortunately I had, in the secretary and senior professor 
of the university, a friend fully competent to counsel and aid in the 
prosecution of this enterprise. I laid the whole subject before him. 



Proposition to the Provincial Assembly. 391 

He informed me that the proper method of securing the object 
would be by means of an order from the Provincial Assembly, 
(if that body should see fit to pass one,) directing the teachers 
of schools to receive said books for use. 

"Early next morning he called with me to propose the subject 
to various prominent members of the Legislative Assembly. We 
visited gentlemen belonging to both political parties : two priests, 
one a doctor in medicine and the other a professor in the Academy 
of Laws; the Bishop-elect of Eio de Janeiro, who was confidential 
adviser of the old Bishop of S. Paulo, — the latter also belonging to 
the Assembly ; and at length the Andradas. Each of these gentle- 
men entertained the proposition in the most respectful manner, 
and expressed the opinion that it could not fail to be well received 
by the Assembly. The bishop, who was chairman of one of the 
committees to which it would naturally be referred, said he would 
spare no effort on his part to carry so laudable a design into effect. 
He, together with one of the padres referred to, had purchased 
copies of the Bible, at the depository in Eio, for their own use, 
and highly approved of the edition we circulated. 

"Our visit to the Andradas was peculiarly interesting. These 
venerable men, both crowned with hoary hairs and almost worn 
out in the service of their country, received me with gratifying 
expressions of regard toward the United States, and assurances 
of entire reciprocity of feeling toward Christians who might not 
be of the Eoman Church. They were acquainted with, and appre- 
ciated the efforts of, the Bible Societies : they, moreover, highly 
approved of the universal use of the Scriptures, especially of the 
New Testament. They pronounced the offer I was about to make 
to be not only unexceptionable, but truly generous, and said that 
nothing in their power should be wanting to carry it into full 
effect. Indeed, Martin Francisco, the president of the Assembly, 
on parting, said that it gave him happiness to reflect that their 
province might be the first to set the example of introducing the 
word of God to its public schools. Senhor Antonio Carlos, at the 
same time, received some copies of the Testament as specimens of 
the translation, which, with the following document, as chairman 
of the Committee on Public Instruction, he presented in course of 
the session for that day : — 



392 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

a 'Proposition to the Honorable Legislature, the Provincial Assembly 
of the Imperial Province of S. Paulo. 

" ' Whereas, having visited this province as a stranger, and having 
received high satisfaction, not only in the observation of those natural 
advantages of climate, soil, and productions with which a benignant 
Providence has so eminently distinguished it, but also in the gene- 
rous hospitality and esteemed acquaintance of various citizens; and, 

" ' Whereas, in making some inquiries upon the subject of educa- 
tion, having been repeatedly informed of a great want of reading- 
books in the primary schools, especially in the interior; and, 

" ( Whereas, having relations with the American Bible Society, 
located in New York, the fundamental object of which is to distri- 
bute the Word of God, without note or comment, in different parts 
of the world ; and, whereas the New Testament of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ is a choice specimen of style, as well on sub- 
jects historical as moral and religious, in addition to embodying 
the pure and sacred truths of our holy Christianity, the knowledge 
of which is of so high importance to every individual, both as a 
human being and as a member of society ; and, 

" ' Whereas, having the most unlimited confidence in the philan- 
thropic benevolence of said Society, and in its willingness to co- 
operate for the good of this country, in common with all others, 
and especially in view of the happy relations existing between two 
prominent nations of the New World : therefore I propose to 
guarantee, on the part of the said American Bible Society, the free 
donation of copies of the New Testament, translated into Portu- 
guese by the Padre Antonio Pereira de Figueiredo, in sufficient 
number to furnish every primary school in the province with a 
library of one dozen, — *on the simple condition that said copies shall 
be received as delivered at the Alfandega (Custom-House) of Bio 
de Janeiro, and caused to be distributed among, preserved in, and 
used by, the said several schools, as books of general reading and 
instruction for the pupils of the same. 

" * With the most sincere desires for the moral and civil prosperity 
of the Imperial province of San Paulo, the above proposition is 
humbly and respectfully submitted. " l D. P. Kidder. 

"♦City of San Paulo, Feb. 15, 1839.' 

"The same day I received a verbal message, saying that the 
Assembly had received the proposition with peculiar satisfaction, 
and referred it to the two committees on ecclesiastical affairs and 
on public instruction. The following official communication was 
subsequently received : — 



Response and Results. 393 

translation. 
" 'To Mr. Kidder : — I inform you that the Legislative Assembly- 
has received with especial satisfaction your offer of copies of the 
New Testament, translated by the Padre Antonio Pereira de 
Figueiredo, and that the Legislature will enter into a deliberation 
upon the subject, the result of which will be communicated to you. 
" •' God preserve you ! 

" 'Miguel Eufrazio de Azevedo Marquez, Sec. 

" 'Palace of the Provincial Assembly, -> 
S. Paulo, Feb. 20, 1839.' / 

"Among other acquaintances formed at S.Paulo was that of a 
clergyman, another professor in the Law University. His con- 
versation was frank and interesting, and his views unusually 
liberal. He gave as emphatic an account as I have heard from 
any one of the unhappy abandonment of all vital godliness and 
of the unworthiness of many of the clergy. He approved of the 
enterprise of the Bible Societies, and cheerfully consented to pro- 
mote it within the circle of his influence by distributing Bibles 
and tracts, and reporting their utility. Exchanging addresses 
with this gentleman, I left him, entertaining a high estimation 
of his good intentions, and with ardent hopes that he might yet be 
greatly useful in the regeneration of his Church and in the salva- 
tion of his countrymen. 

"Thus were happily completed arrangements with persons of 
the first respectability and influence, in each principal place of the 
interior which I had visited, that they should distribute the word 
of God among their fellow-citizens. All the copies that I brought 
were already disposed of, and there was a prospect that the day 
was not distant when it could be said that a Roman Catholic Legis- 
lature had fully sanctioned the use of the Holy Scriptures in the 
public schools of their entire territory. I was told, on the best 
authority, that the committees of the Assembly were drafting a 
joint report, recommending compliance with the offer by means 
of an order on the treasury for the funds needed in payment of the 
duties and the expense of distribution. 

"Such circumstances as the results of this short visit were so far 
beyond the most sanguine anticipation, that, on leaving, I found it 
difficult to restrain my feelings of gratitude and delight for what 
mine eyes had seen and mine ears had heard. 



394 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

"In conclusion, it becomes necessary to add that, owing to the 
agitations and intrigues common to most political bodies, action in 
reference to my proposition was delayed beyond the expectation 
of its friends. The last direct intelligence I had from the subject 
was received in conversation with the president of the Assembly. 
I met this gentleman on his subsequent arrival at Eio de Janeiro 
to discharge his duties as a member of the House of Deputies. 
He informed me that such were the political animosities existing 
betweon the two parties into which the Assembly was divided that 
very little business of any kind had been done during the session. 
The minority as a party, and individuals of the majority, favored 
the project, but, under the circumstances, did not wish to urge im- 
mediate action upon it. Meantime, through some slanders circu- 
lated by an English Catholic priest residing at Rio, the suspicions 
of the old bishop were excited lest the translation was not actually 
what it purported to be, but had suffered alterations. 

"An examination was proposed, but, either through inability or 
wilful neglect, was not attempted; and thus the superstitious 
humor of the old diocesan was counted among other things which 
caused delay. Tho prosident expressed a hope that on the next 
organization of tho Assembly tho proposal would be fully accepted. 

"I subsequently saw in a newspaper that the committee to whom 
the subject had been referred, or probably its chairman, in direct 
contravention of his voluntary promise to mo, but in obedience to 
the old bishop's idle fears, had filed in tho secretary's office a report 
unfavorable to tho proposal. Tho proposition was probably never 
acted upon. To the credit of the province, it certainly was never 
formally rejected." 

Tho dissemination of the truth, however, does not depend upon 
legislative acts or the aid of statesmen, though we may hail with 
pleasure every move of the "powers that be" for the advancement 
of knowledge and religion. Tho circulation of the Scriptures is 
not a matter of sectarianism ; and all should rejoice in the diffusion 
of that "which" (as the barbarian chieftain in Northumberland 
said to his compeers when the first monk visited Britannia) 
" teaches us the origin and the destiny of our souls." 

J visited Sao Paulo for the first time sixteen years after the 
events narrated above, and I found the same willingness mani- 



Fruits of Former Labors. 395 

tested by all ranks of society in the reception of the word which 
my companion in authorship experienced among the Paulistas, and 
I was thus enabled to diffuse very many copies of Holy Writ. From 
time to time, in this pleasant portion of Brazil, I found much to 
encourage my labors among the humble and ignorant as well as 
among the more elevated and intelligent. It was not less pleasing 
occasionally to trace the workings of the seeds of truth sown so 
many years before by Dr. Kidder. I found that an eminent Brazilian 
had been won, by the perusal of A Santa Biblia, to "wisdom's ways/' 
and to become the earnest advocate of its circulation. Far in the 
interior of this province I met with two gentlemen who did not 
profess to be Christians, but who, as philanthropists, took a deep 
interest in the Bible cause. One of them told me that a Brazilian 
came to him a few days before with a Portuguese Bible, saying 
that he was "so rejoiced to have the Bible in his own vernacular." 
My informant thinks this Biblia must have come either from my pre- 
decessor or from the Bibles left at the house of an American merchant 
in Eio de Janeiro. I was also informed by an English watchmaker 
at Campinas that he had met with a Brazilian who had in his pos- 
session a Portuguese Bible, and that he took great pleasure in carry- 
ing it with him to the Eoman Catholic church each Sunday. 

In a most fertile and densely-populated portion of the province 
I made the acquaintance of a physician who had resided in Brazil 
eleven years, — had travelled, for scientific purposes, through much 
of the Empire, — had won the respect and esteem of the Brazilians 
by his affability as well as his professional ability. He therefore 
has a great influence. It is his opinion that Brazil, in a certain 
sense, is ready for a reformation j but that the inhabitants have 
had such immoral priests, and arc themselves so low in a moral 
point of view, that it would not be a vigorous breaking away from 
the trammels of Eomanism. They are, however, not bigoted, and 
are willing to read. He it was that gave me the instance of the 
padre who, by. reading some of the works of Luther that had 
straj^ed from Germany into Brazil, preached such Protestant ser- 
mons that he was attacked by the bishop, and finally driven away 
from his parish, but not from his sentiments. It seemed to me, 
when hearing of this incident, that the old German Eeformer was 
still hurling his inkstand. 



CHAPTEE XXI. 

AGREEABLE ACQUAINTANCE — OLD CONGO'S SPURS — LODGING AND SLEEPING COM- 
PANY CAMPINAS ILLUMINATIONS A NIGHT AMONG THE LOWLY ARRIVAL AT 

LIMEIRA — A PENNSYLVANIAN — A NIGHT WITH A BOA CONSTRICTOR — EVENTFUL 
AND ROMANTIC LIFE OF A NATURALIST— THE BIRD-COLONY DESTINED TO THE 
PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES — YBECABA — SKETCH OF THE 
VERGUEIROS — PLAN OF COLONIZATION — BRIDGE OF NOVEL CONSTRUCTION — 
FUTURE PROSPECTS. 

On the morning of the 21st of June, I left the city of San Paulo 
for Limeira. Before starting, I called upon Messrs. E. and C, two 
English engineers who had come out to make the surveys for a car- 
riage-road into the interior. In the bookcase of Madam E. I 
found many an old friend. How curious it was to see Cheever's 
" Windings by the Waters of the Eiver of Life/' Hamilton's a Life 
in Earnest," and other good books, in this distant city, whose very 
existence was perhaps unknown to the authors mentioned ! I was 
loath to leave the agreeable company at Mr. E.'s; but my mules, horse, 
and conductor were all ready, and now, with this cavalcade, vamos. 

My conductor was an old darkey of sixty, whose vestments con- 
sisted of a roundabout, a pair of pantaloons, and an old straw 
hat. His naked, bony heels were ungarnished by the slightest 
sign of a spur. As I was to ride fast, in order to accomplish my 
journey in a given time, I saw that it would never do to have old 
Congo go unarmed as to his pedal ex- 
tremities j so, reining up at a hard- 
ware-store, I furnished the ancient with 
a pair of iron spurs, each spike of 
which was large enough for the gaff of 
a fighting-cock. With a bit of whip- 
cord he fastened them to his skinny 
ankles, and, mounting, we were soon 
en route, and in a few minutes cleared the city of San Paulo. 

At ten o'clock in this climate the sun is by no means cold. The 
396 




Old Congo's Spurs. 397 

extra animals, once outside of the streets, had a great disposition 
to roam over the plains of Piratininga, and much of our time was 
lost in changing from one side of the road to the other in search 
of the fugitives. Under the influence of his unusual exercise and 
the warmth of the day, the juice of youth seemed to be oozing out 
of old Congo. He uttered prayers, at a most vociferous rate, to 
Santa Maria and Diabo. And I am sorry to record that most of 
his pious ejaculations were to the latter character, whose name, 
though not in the calendar, is more frequently used in Brazil than 
those of all the saints put together. Hearing the clatter of hoofs 
behind us, I turned round, and beheld two Paulistas galloping in 
the same direction with ourselves. In passing us, they both burst 
into a fit of immoderate laughter. I could not at first divine what 
so excited their cachinnatory powers, until one of them exclaimed, 
" Olha as esporas." Upon looking down, I perceived that the whip- 
cord which fastened the iron spikes to the heels of old Congo had 
slipped around, and the spur was standing 
out prominently in front of his instep. The 
old fellow, in his arduous chase after the 
wandering mules, had not perceived this, and 
went on belaboring and thumping the sides 
of his animal with his blunt, bony heels. 
After the ride of a league, I found my 
boxes; but Joachim Antonio da Silva, the muleteer who had them 
in charge, would not give them up until I made many assurances 
that all was right. And now once more forward ! 

Previous to to-day, I had always had young negroes or German 
boys for my conductors, and I feared that the ambition of old 
Congo was dead, and that no hope of reward would resurrect it. 
He went very slow: the journey must be accomplished with those 
boxes in four days, or I could not come off victor. The trip was 
considered, by muleteers, one of eight days; so, in order to accele- 
rate the speed of my animals, I determined not to leave old Congo. 
We pushed on, as rapidly as possible, through a fine region of 
country, abounding in coffee and sugar plantations. I had much 
conversation with the old negro, who could remember when, more 
than half a century ago, he was stolen on the coast of Africa, but 
did not recollect ever having heard the story of the Creation and 




398 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Redemption; so I employed myself in endeavoring to pour into his 
mind some light on that greatest of all subjects to man. He found 
it very interesting, and pronounced it "muito bonito," (very beau- 
tiful.) 

With all our pushing, driving, and changing animals, we only 
got over twenty-four miles, — which is a good day's work for Bra- 
zilians, but did not satisfy me. By a bright moon we arrived at a 
house where we could find no " entertainment for man or beast." 
We rode on to a mere road-side hovel, and to our question, Tern 
lugar? we received the response, "We cannot receive you: we have 
no room." This was from a slatternly-looking mulattress. Every 
thing was against us; but it was impossible for us to go farther. 
Old Congo, however, made a speech with such eloquence that the 
desired quarters were obtained. And such a room ! No cabin in 
Old Ireland, or clapboard shed in the "Far West," could surpass it 
in ugliness and narrowness, to say nothing of dirt. The floor was 
mud, and the walls were of dried mud, ornamented with the marks 
of the "daubing" fingers. It was six feet by eight, and here were 
stowed self, saddles, sacks, and Congo. No wonder that they said 
they had "no room." We supped off of beans, uncooked corn- 
meal, and eggs, whose durable qualities were not to be questioned. 
We (that is, I first and Congo afterward) stood up (for there was 
no chair in the house) to a table something like a horse-trough. I 
am capable of any thing. My bed was a mat spread on a board 
and graced by a pillow and a sheet. Such an article as a coverlet 
did not exist in that casa. The African had more sense than I 
had, for his poncho was large and heavy. By a dim light stuck 
into the mud wall, I read to poor old Congo the first passage of the 
Holy Word that he, doubtless, had ever heard in a language which 
he understood; then, praying in Portuguese, I lay down upon my 
board, and he upon the ground, which I think must have been a 
softer couch than mine. In a letter to a friend I thus detailed my 
experience: — "I piled on to me, in lieu of coverlet, my saddle- 
cloth and mackintosh. I was more sensitive to the cold than the 
night before, and sleep would not be wooed. I then put on my 
coat; but that did not keep off the cold nor the fleas, which were 
'still so gently o'er me' creeping. I kicked away until I could 
stand it no longer, and then (I scarcely dare write it to you) I 



How We Slept. 399 

aroused old Congo from a sound sleep, and made him get into — no 
— on to my board, to warm me. It was not exactly the case of the 
aged monarch of Israel; for it was cruel to transfer the ancient 
darky from the comfortable bosom of mother-earth to the hard 
realities of a soft board and a cold young man. I profited nothing 
by it, for slumber came not to my eyelids, and the thought of cer- 
tain bixos rendered me still more wakeful, if such a thing were 
possible.' ' 

Before cock-crowing I ordered the mules to be saddled, and at 
daylight we were again on our way. I rode on, far in advance of 
my muleteer, and, passing a mile beyond the village of Jundiahy, I 
arrived at the hotel of Senhor Jose Pinto. I found a large party 
at a twelve-o'clock breakfast, which repast was perfectly a la 
Brazilienne. They supposed that I would wish matters in a different 
style, but I made them all at ease by sitting down, telling them 
that I was not a stranger, and manifesting my "at-homeness" by 
eating as heartily of their dishes as if I had been accustomed to 
them all my life. This opened their hearts, and thus gave me, both 
then and afterward, an opportunity of speaking of those higher 
interests which concern man here below. 

In two hours or more my baggage-mules came up. I perceived 
that, at this rate, it would be impossible for me to get on as ] 
wished, or to complete all my arrangements at Limeira and 
Ybecaba and get back to Rio de Janeiro for my northern trip. 
Fortunately for me, I found at Jose Pinto's the two Paulistas whose 
mirth had been so excited at the revolution of the old African's 
spurs. They were going far into the interior, and had an extra 
animal, which I hired, and pushed on, accompanied by them, leav- 
ing my old Congo to come uj) sem duvida (without fail) two days 
after me. 

I had now a better opportunity of knowing something more of 
the moradores, or road-side dwellers, of which class my companions 
were specimens. They sang for me fandango melodies, Ethiopian 
airs in bad Portuguese, and entertained me in various ways. In 
return, I gave them some information about the world outside of 
Brazil, not leaving out, in the end, a mention of the "Happy 
Land." 

Our resting-place was to be the important town of Campinas, 



400 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

(or San Carlos,) more than one hundred miles in the interior. As 
we approached this town, I was struck by the beauty and fertility 
of the surrounding country. The grand old mountains had been 
left far behind us, and around, as far as I could see, were extensive 
plains, or rather rolling prairies, and almost every acre occupied. 
There were most highly-cultivated coffee-plantations, from whose 
deep green could be seen, peeping here and there, the large white resi- 
dences of the planters. It was on the evening of the 28th of June 
that we drew near Campinas. The clear beauty of the tropic night 
was made even more beautiful by the illumination of the city, 
by the huge bonfires spread over the plains, and by the most bril- 
liant fireworks sent up from every street and from all the sur- 
rounding plantations. The sight and sounds were such that one, 
without any stretch of imagination, would have believed himself 
near some besieged city during a fierce bombardment. It was 
"St. Peter's Eve;" and every man who had a Pedro attached to his 
name felt himself obligated to burn a huge heap of combustibles 
before his door, and to send up any quantity of sky-rockets and 
fire off innumerable pistols, muskets, and cannon. Under such a 
storm we entered Campinas. My two Paulistas led me through 
the narrow streets, and we finally arrived before a row of small 
whitewashed houses. These were the residences of the friends of 
my Paulistas; but I could not think of stopping there, and desired 
that some one would lead the way to an inn. They were all very 
kind, but were so occupied with our tired animals that no one 
could be spared for the purpose. The hotel, if one can call it such, 
was at a great distance, and it was suggested that I had better 
stop with them, though it was muito mal, (very bad fare.) I thought 
that it could not be harder than the night before. I entered : this 
was the residence of Senhor Theobardo o Carpinteiro ; or, in plain 
English, Theobald the carpenter. Senhor Theobardo, however, had 
not expended any of his skill upon his own house, for the floors 
and the walls were composed of the same substance as the street. 
The night before I had only been in the outer court. I now had 
an opportunity of seeing the inner temple. Senhor Theobardo was 
half Indian, half mulatto, and I think that, if he could have had 
an extra half, it would have been yellow Portuguese. He and his 
children had formed such a close alliance with the substance of 



Sr. Tjii;oi:aim>a THE CARPENTER. 401 

which his floors were made, that one could literally say that all 
Qudging from their complexion) were of the "dust of the earth." 
The kitchen, which served the purpose, of parlor and dining-room, 
was without chimney, chairs, or any of the appliances of civilized 
life. A few earthen pots were the culinary utensils, and a fire in 
one corner of the room, in the style of the Patagonians, (indeed, 1 

have seen the same kind among the Terra del Kuegians,; served lor 

cooking, the smoke the meanwhile escaping as best if could 
When I saw Mr. Theobardo, Mrs. T., and all fin; little T.s squatting 

around the lire, and the mellow light of the embers no! softening 

i heir sallow features, which, excepting their flashing eyes, were un 

relieved by a single trace of eleanliness or grace, I thought thai 

Borrow, in his wildest adventures among the gypsies of Spain, 

Could not have witnessed a group more wild, more dirty, or more 

picturesque. But I soon found that, although they had duly 

feces, they had large hearts, and I reflected that my mission was 

to them as well as to the more elevated; so I made myself at 

home, and also put them at their ease. We talked about the, United 
States, and finally I got out a Portuguese New Testament, and, 

Collecting whites, and those who had all sorts of mixtures, from 

the white, through the red, down to the Degro, I commenced read- 
ing the Holy Book. I had a most interested audience, who proba- 
bly for the first time heard the message of salvation. I shall 
never forget that night, and the kindness of tin; most lowly people 
I ever met with, — lowly, at least, as to this world's goods; and 
it is my earnest hope and prayer that the, truth may reach and 
enrich their souls. 

The room which they assigned to me was not quit/: so large as 
the one I had occupied the night before, and was shared between 
boards, planes, ebisels, saws, harness, saddles, a Paulista, and my- 
self. Just as I was retiring, a huge wooden bowl, as large, as a 
bath-tub, was brought to mo filled with water. This was of (heir 
own accord: but who would have, thought it, among these people 
who apparently never performed any ablutions? 

That night slumber was sweet indeed \ and the, next, morning 1 

departed at an early hour, leaving rny blessing and one milreis with 
the kind Theobardo. The former he accepted, but the latter he 

declined, until I forced it upon him as a lembranqa. 



402 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Our route was still more picturesque than that of yesterday. 
The fine road was overshadowed by trees and wild vines; and the 
carolling birds and singing Paulistas made the ten leagues appear 
short. Our party was enlarged by two young Germans on their 
way to Ybecaba. All the houses by the road-sides, and even the 
huge churches, are built of (or, rather, rammed down with) mud 
or clay. The large conventual buildings of S. Paulo and the im- 
mense church of Campinas (whose walls are five feet in diameter) 
are composed of beaten earth. 

The whole feature of the country had changed: the sublime 
scenery of the coast was not here to be found, but, in its stead, that 
which reminded me of the United States. In the newness of the 
settlements and plantations, I could have easily believed myself in 
the northern part of Ohio. We were now constantly fording and 
passing over streams, which were the head-waters of the River 
Plate. We pushed on until night, illumined by a full moon in an 
unclouded sky, brought us to the town of Limeira. Here I had 

before been informed I should find an American physician, Dr. , 

formerly of Pennsylvania. I rode up to his house, and had a most 
welcome reception. I desired to journey on by moonlight to the 
plantation of Senator Yergueiro; but the doctor would take no re- 
fusal, and stated as a further inducement that another American 
had arrived that very day, and that we together would compose 
such a trio as had never before been seen in the distant villa of 
Limeira. 

Limeira is situated in a most fertile region, watered by streams 

that send their tribute to the mighty Parana. If Dr. was 

surprised at my unexpected arrival, I was no less astonished to 
learn that another American had arrived that day, who was peram- 
bulating the province, practising his profession of dentist. In 
what nation pretending to civilization will you not find the Ame- 
rican dentist? I may be permitted to indulge a little patriotic 
pride when speaking of this profession, whose members more than 
any other of my compatriots may be found in almost any portion 
of the world. Their superior merits have been repeatedly acknow- 
ledged by Englishmen and Frenchmen of the same profession. The 
secret of their perfection and success has been owing to various 
causes, not the least of which is the regular dental colleges which 



American Dentists in Foreign Lands. 403 

exist in the United States, being the first institutions of the kind 
ever founded, and until recently the only ones in the world. I have 
met with American dentists at Eio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, and in 
New Granada. At Paris the dentists a la mode are Americans.* A 
sickly schoolmate, with whom in years gone by I had dug out 
many a page of hard Latin, is now the most popular dentist in 
Berlin. On the continent, in interior cities, you will meet with 
Yankee teeth-replacers and teeth-extractors; and, if the professor 
or doctor has not the advantage of being a citizen of the great 
Kepublic, he publishes in emphatic characters in his advertisements 
that he has studied his profession in the United States, or fills molars 
d la mode Americaine. 

But to return to Dr. . He gave me a hearty Pennsylvania 

welcome, and, as it was late, soon conducted me to my chamber. 
Now, this chamber was adjacent to a medicine-room, where were 
not only plenty of the bottled doses which flesh in Brazil is fre- 
quently "heir to," but also the apartment was adorned with many 
specimens of the rich floral and animal kingdoms of Brazil. There 
being no door to close the aperture that existed between this room 
and mine, I was frequently disturbed during the night by a strange 
noise, which could not proceed from unemployed physic or from the 
dried and stuffed specimens which were hung around in profusion. 
When daylight returned, I ascertained that the singular noise had 
arisen from the rustling of a very fine boa-constrictor, that had slept 
(or rather attempted to sleep) within about eight feet of my bed. 



* American Dentists. — Mr. Walsh, the Paris correspondent of the Journal of 
Commerce, in a late letter, says : — 

"A few days ago I had occasion to apply to the principal Paris bookseller in the 
department of medicine for some recent comprehensive and elegant work on Den- 
tistry. He wrote to me at once the following reply : — ' I regret that it is not in my 
power to meet your wishes : there is nothing recent nor good in France on the art 
and science of dentistry. Our surgeons are obliged to borrow from the Americans 
their proficiency and treatises on this subject, acknowledging that your country- 
men are much further advanced than they themselves are in this important branch 
of the medical art. It is unnecessary for me to mention to you works published 
fifteen years ago.' Your dentists may be gratified by this testimony. The success 
of the Americans of the profession who have settled in this capital is strong evi- 
dence of the justness of appreciation." 



404 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

This room-mate of mine had been presented to the doctor, and was 
one of the chief occupants of the medical apartment. 

The doctor's life had been of that romantic kind which from 
time to time we find coupled with devoted study and hard reality. 
A great lover of nature, he early turned his attention to botany and 
geology. He roamed over the whole United States, and finally 
came with a few others to Brazil, many years ago, to explore the 
flora and mineralogy of this Empire. Being an enthusiastic natu- 
ralist, he fairly revelled in the glorious field of his favorite studies; 
but the sickness of one of the expedition brought him back to Bio 
de Janeiro, where he was induced by the American minister to fill 
the place of mineralogist on board of an American frigate which 
was on its way to examine the coal-fields of Borneo. I shall not 
soon forget the interesting account which he gave me of this ex- 
pedition, during which he visited Madagascar, the coasts of Zanzi- 
bar, China, Tonquin, Manilla, &c. &c. His reports adorn the 
publications of the Smithsonian Institute. After he had filled his 
accepted time of service on board the frigate, he returned to Brazil, 
penetrated the forest, and resumed, on his own account, further 
explorations; but, in order to obtain the necessary means, he first 
practised his profession as a physician. 

From other lips I learned the sequel of the doctor's adventures 
in a field widely different from that of botany. He opened his 
office on the plaza of an important town in the interior of San 
Paulo. On the opposite side of the square was a young Brazilian 
widow, endowed with the double attraction of wealth and beauty. 
It was not long before the doctor was approached by empenhos,* 
and became duly informed that the bereaved Brazilienne thought 
that she could find in him a solace for all her afflictions. The doctor 
replied that he was already married to the virgin forests, and, not 
contemplating another marriage, ran away to his beautiful woods. 



* Empenho : this word is used in Brazil to express the idea, in politics, commerce, 
&c. &c, of soliciting aid, promotion, and favors not by direct approaches. Thus, 
A wishes a favor from D : A ascertains that B is very well acquainted with C, who 
is a most influential friend of D, and to whom D is under obligations. B goes to C, 
and C in turn to D, and thus the favor is obtained through intermediates. The 
verb empenhar means to lay, to pawn, to pledge, to persuade. Dinheiro, Diabo. 
and Empenho are most frequently used in Brazil. 



Romance of a Botanist. 405 

On his return, however, a more powerful einpenho was brought to 
bear upon him. The doctor yielded, — was led to the church, and 
the fair Paulista married him. Their union was blessed by a fine, 
chubby boy, whom the patriotic physician named George Washing- 
Ion, fondly hoping that this was the first child born in Brazil who 
bore the illustrious name. "But," said he, "fancy my disgust 
when, the other day, I learned that some yellow Sertanejo had 
anticipated me, and had his clay-bank urchin baptized also George 
Washington !" 

At the earnest request of influential persons, he took up his 
residence at Limeira; but his plans for botanical researches, foiled 
for a time, have not been given up, and it is his intention at some 
future day to explore the dense sylva of the interior, where nature 
so luxuriantly abounds in the gigantic, the wonderful, and the 
beautiful. 

On the following morning after my arrival at Limeira, accom- 
panied by Dr. , I went to the Fazenda de Ybecaba, the planta- 
tion of the Yergueiros. It was a clear and lovely day, and we 
rode along under an archway of forest-trees, many of them clad 
with the most curious epiphytes and orchidaceous plants. From 
time to time the doctor would point out some very remarkable 
subjects of this portion of Flora's kingdom, and delineate their 
peculiarities and qualities as only one can whose heart is bound 
up in the beauties of nature. We halted in an open space, and my 
companion indicated with his finger one of the common palms of 
this region. In the tree itself there was nothing to render it 
worthy of attention above its fellows to those accustomed to its 
graceful form; but there was an accidental interest given to it 
which called forth the doctor's enthusiastic admiration. He was 
not only a thoroughly-educated botanist and mineralogist, but was 
an amateur ornithologist, and loved to watch every trait of the 
gaudy and brilliant birds of Brazil. From the tufted crown of the 
palm there hung twenty nests of the large oriole called the Iguash; 
and the feathery inhabitants of this swinging town were hovering 
around and chattering like "children just let loose from school." 
The doctor informed me that, though so many leagues intervened 
between Limeira and the sea-coast, he would cause the tree to 
be carefully cut down, sawed into sections, and trunk, top, and 



406 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

nest transported to Santos, and there shipped for Philadelphia. Its 
destiny, after it arrived at the City of Brotherly Love, was to be the 
Academy of Natural Sciences. The nests would also be sent, with 
several specimens of the Iguash. This whole project, however, 
was to be coupled with one condition, which was a sine qua non; i.e. 
the Directors of the said Academy of Natural Sciences were to re- 
erect the palm-tree, with its long nest-adornments, in the centre or 
m some conspicuous part of their edifice; for, unless this was 
guaranteed, the doctor added, " palm-tree, birds, and all would soon 
be consigned to oblivion." It was a grand idea — and I doubt if it 
were ever before entertained by a naturalist — to transport a lofty 
nest-covered tree on the shoulders of men for more than two hun- 
dred miles, in order that it might be sent thousands of leagues 
over the ocean as a specimen of the wonders of vegetation and of 
the bird-architecture of this Southern Hemisphere. 

We resumed our route, and 
in a few minutes we over- 
took old Congo, who, true to 
his word, had driven and 
ridden well, and had got over 
more ground in forty-eight 
hours than he had on any 
previous occasion in five days. 
We emerged from the forest- 
bordered road, and saw in the 
distance the celebrated plan- 
tation of Senator Yergueiro. 

Though I had heard more of this establishment than of any 
similar one in Brazil, it did not fall behind my anticipation. 
We passed through the great gateway, and were welcomed by the 
screams of a flock of gayly-painted parrots, which were at times 
alighting, and at times whirling around the tops of a group of lofty 
trees. Two pairs of them rested upon different branches, and 
seemed to be in amiable confab in regard to the newly-arrived. 
Between Campinas and Limeira, and also at Ybecaba, I beheld the 
loftiest trees that I met with in any portion of the country. Three 
noble denizens of the forest have been left not far from the resi- 
dence of Senhor Yergueiro, and form a conspicuous object in the 




The Fazenda of Ybecaba. 407 

landscape. In the distance could be seen the manor and the chapel, 
and on either side of them various out-buildings, which served as 
shops, store-rooms for coffee, and sheds for machinery. On our 
left were neat little cottages belonging to the colonists. The pecu- 
liarity of Ybecaba consists in the fact that free labor is employed 
in carrying on its vast operations; and those whom Senator Yer- 
gueiro and his sons have brought to displace the Africans are men 
of the working-classes from Germany and Switzerland. With en- 
larged views and true economy, we shall see in the sequel that 
they have adopted that plan which has not only been productive 
of great and profitable results to themselves, but that they have 
helped to elevate and greatly benefit the condition of those who 
were in narrow circumstances at home. The Yergueiros have 
solved the question, so often asked, "What is the true mode for 
colonization in Brazil?" 

As we drew near the mansion we saw on every side of us evi- 
dences of thrift. For the first time away from Eio de Janeiro I 
saw. carts whose wheels were not of the old primitive Eoman kind, 
but turned upon their axles like civilized cartwheels. And it may 
be mentioned that these, and all the agricultural implements and 
machinery, are manufactured on the plantation. When subse- 
quently examining the workmanship of carpenters, cabinet-makers, 
blacksmiths, and wheelwrights, from the Cantons de Yaud and 
Valais, and from interior villages of Prussia, I perceived that not 
only had they not lost their skilfulness, but had actually gained 
under the supervision of their enlightened proprietors. 

Senhor Luiz Yergueiro received as with marked attention. 
The doctor was, of course, an old favorite; but Senhor Y. soon 
made me feel at home, and I afterward discovered that he took a 
deep interest in my visit to Brazil, from the account which he had 
read in the Correio Mercantil of my presentation, at Eio de Janeiro, 
of the various specimens of American arts and manufactures to 
the Emperor and to the different scientific societies of the 
metropolis. 

Every facility was given me for full investigation of the books of 
the plantation and the condition of the colony, which enabled me 
to make a just and fair comparison between this system of coloni- 
zation and those of Petropolis and Donna Francisca, and also to see 



408 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

more clearly the results of contrasted free and slave labor. The 
whole of the day was thus occupied; but, before detailing any ac- 
count of that examination, it will be best to give a more full 
account of the family Vergueiro, whose venerable head has been 
mentioned several times in previous pages of this work. 

Nicoldo de Pereira de Campos Vergueiro is a native of Portugal, 
and of noble descent. He arrived in Brazil before the King, Dom 
John VI. By profession a lawyer, he is a man of cultivated and 
disciplined mind. He early settled in the province of San Paulo, 
and took a conspicuous part in the political affairs of the country. 
From the very commencement of agitations for extending the 
rights of his adopted land, he stood in the foremost rank of patriots, 
shoulder to shoulder with the Andradas, Feijo, and others eminent 
in the struggle for Brazilian independence. His private virtues, his 
moderate and enlightened views, and his great firmness, made him 
an object of confidence on the part of the people. He was deputed 
to the Cortes of Portugal, having for his colleagues Jose Bonifacio 
de Andrada, and Feijo. He did not, however, escape to England 
with them when they were threatened by the Cortes, but demanded 
fearlessly and firmly, his passport, and succeeded in obtaining it 
He returned to Bio de Janeiro, and from that time to this has been 
a leader on the liberal side of politics, and is to-day called a 
Santa Lusia. From the era of Brazilian liberty until now, he has 
either been Deputy or Senator. On that trying night when the 
people in the Campo Santa Anna clamored for the reinstatement 
of the Ministry dismissed the previous day, Dom Pedro I., before 
resorting to the last expedient left to him by the Constitution, sent 
for Vergueiro, knowing that he was one who possessed the confi- 
dence of the populace, to desire him to form a ministry in accord- 
ance with their wishes. Vergueiro was not found, or the revolution 
would have either been stayed or put off to a more distant period. 
He has been repeatedly Minister of the Empire, has received 
eminent places from the people, but has steadfastly refused all title 
of nobility, and every honor from the Imperial Executive, except 
the Grand Cross of Santa Cruz. 

Before leaving for Southern Brazil, I called upon Senator Ver- 
gueiro at Rio de Janeiro. He was at that time present in the 
capital during the session of the Assemblea Gcral, and resided in 



Senator Vergueiro and Family. 409 

the beautiful suburb of Botafogo. It was in the evening that I 
entered his residence, and was received by his daughters, whom I 
found intelligent and possessing one accomplishment so often 
lacking in a Brazilian lady : they could converse. Not many 
moments elapsed before the venerable Senator entered. His hair 
was white, and his form was bowed under the weight of fourscore 
years; yet in the glance of his eye there was something which told 
that the soul was neither slumbering nor decrepid. His smiling 
countenance also proclaimed that neither the burdens of age nor 
of past and present public and private service had affected in the 
least degree the cheerfulness of his nature. Whether conversing 
about the copies of the sacred truth, or of my contemplated visit 
to Ybecaba, — whether addressing a playful remark to his family, or 
a word of information to me, — he was a most pleasant picture of a 
hale and happy old man, with his mental powers unimpaired, and 
with the hopefulness of youth. The aged statesman stands almost 
alone in the Brazilian Senate-Chamber; for the patriotic yet 
impetuous Andradas are gone; the eloquent, the irresistible, but 
unsafe Vasconcellos has long since been laid in the tomb; the old 
Marquis of Valenca has recently been followed to his "long home;" 
a new generation of Brazilians fill their places: nevertheless, 
Nicolao de Pereira de Campos Yergueiro still represents an 
admiring constituency, no longer, as in stormier times, battling for 
right, but as the advocate of every measure for the advancement 
of his beloved country. [Senator Vergueiro died in I860.] 

Few men in Brazil have been blessed with such sons; few, we 
may add, have taken such pains to have their children properly 
educated. Co-operating with their father, they have presented in 
their colony a model to their compatriots. His four sons were 
educated in Brazil, Germany, and England. The oldest, Senhor 
Luiz, studied law at the University of Gottingen. Senhor Jose (head 
of the Santos house) was trained in the military school of Prussia, 
and rose to the position of first lieutenant of the thirty-seventh 
Prussian infantry during the troubles between Belgium and 
Holland. 

The third son (who had charge of the Eio house of Vergueiro & 
Filhos) was educated as a commercial man in London and Ham- 
burg, and the younger brother had a thorough mercantile training 



410 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in the same cities. By their European education they have been 
enabled to carry out more easily the plans of their father concern- 
ing emigration. 

In 1841, Senhor Yergueiro, in the teeth of public opinion, sent 
to Germany for forty families as colonists; but the General Govern- 
ment was so opposed to the old Senator during the troubles of 1842, 
in the province of San Paulo, that the colony was broken up. In 
1846, he again commenced carrying out his project; and, in so 
doing, he has been completely successful. The Government itself 
through official organs, has commended the system of Yergueiro 
as the system worthy of imitation. 

That system may be stated in few words. Sr. Yergueiro has in 
Europe an agent who communicates with cantonal and communal 
authorities, and with private individuals, offering inducements to 
the able-bodied poor who wish to emigrate with their families to 
the New World. The emigrant, at his option, can defray his own 
expenses to Brazil, or, permitting Sr. Yergueiro to transport him, 
he (the emigrant) agrees in such case to refund at his own time 
and convenience the price of his passage at a small rate of interest. 
The agent at Hamburg charters a vessel, and thus a large number 
of colonists are enabled to seek a new home at a very moderate 
outlay. 

Sr. Y. guarantees on his part to defray all the expenses of the 
colonists from the sea-coast to his plantations, and, on their arrival 
at their final destination, to furnish each head of a family with a 
house, so many thousand coffee-trees, proportioned to the number 
of each family, and to supply all with provisions, articles of 
clothing, &c. at wholesale prices. The colonist, on his part, agrees 
to tend faithfully his allotted portion of coffee-trees, to share the 
profits and expenses of the crop, and not to leave without giving 
one year's notice and paying his indebtedness (if any exist) for 
passage-money advanced. 

This contract is very simple, and is a safe investment for both 
contracting parties. 

During the year 1854, the result of the coffee-culture on the 
plantation of Ybecaba was one million six hundred thousand pounds, 
of which one-half of the expenses and profits belong to the 
laborers. 



A Novel Bridge. 



411 



I visited the cottages of the colonists, about one mile from the 
manor. As I passed along, I was constantly saluted by cheerful 
Swiss and German workmen, some of whom were surrounded by 
noisy and joyous fair-headed children, who capered about with as 
much life and glee as if at the foot of the Hartz or in the valleys 
of the Oberland. 

Before reaching the hamlet, (of which I present a sketch drawn 
by a young German at Ybecaba,) I crossed a small stream upon a 




COLONIA VERGUEIRO. 



bridge of a novel and cheap construction, which in its simplicity 
commends itself to every settler in Australia or Western America, 
where proprietors are many but laborers are few. It may be 
styled a " self-made" bridge. A number of logs are fastened longi- 
tudinally in the water, leaving, of course, spaces between them. 
On the top of these are thrown large branches, and then finer 
brush ; and on the surface is placed a certain quantity of clay and 



412 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

loose earth. A portion of the brook higher up is turned aside by a 
ditch through the light soil, and conducted over the log and brush- 
heap. In a few days this little side-stream has borne down an 
immense burden of red soil across the bridge, and has rendered 
the superstructure as firm as the road, while beneath, through 
branches and logs, the "river runs merrily by." The ditch, the 
water through it having finished its work, is closed, and a solid 
passage-way is thus obtained.* 

At the hamlet I found an intelligent head-agent, who kept the 
books of the colonists, and gave to the latter orders for every pound 
of bacon, yard of cloth, &c. Without his signature they could not 
obtain these articles at the manor storehouse. 

The larger portion of the colonists were Roman Catholics; but 
I did not leave before every opportunity was afforded for their 
obtaining the Scriptures, both in Portuguese and German. 

Some of the colonists have thriven remarkably, having in five 
years' time gained five and seven thousand milreis, ($2500 and 
$3500.) The state of morals was certainly most creditable when 
comparing it with that of the countries whence they came. From 
1847 to '55, (the period of my visit,) among several hundred 
laborers of the humblest classes of German and Swiss, not an 
illegitimate child had been born. The Vergueiros encourage the 
marriage-institution as not only essential to purity, but for the 
interest of both planter and colonist. There are now about one 
thousand European workmen, including children. 

Ybecaba is a small plantation, containing but five or six square 
miles; but near by the Y.s possess ufazenda not so well cultivated, 
but three times as large. At Angelica they own a new plantation, 
well adapted to the culture of coffee, which is twelve leagues in 
circumference. Hitherto blacks have been employed upon this 
large estate; but it is the intention of the proprietor to introduce, 



* In some of the mining-districts there is a simple and philosophical mode of 
splitting off the side of clayey mountains. Wells are dug into them, and, during 
the heavy rains, these, by means of gutters, become filled with water. The hydro- 
static pressure of the liquid columns forces off masses from the faces of mountains 
which would require hundreds of men for months to accomplish with the mattock 
and shovel. 



Condition of the Brazilian Colonies. 413 

as soon as possible, free white laborers. I demanded of Sr. Luiz 
Vergueiro if it were mere philanthropy which prompted their 
efforts to introduce free labor: he replied, most promptly and de- 
cidedly, "We find the labor of a man who has a will of his own, 
and interests at stake, vastly more profitable than slave-labor." 

The more I reflected upon the Vergueiro system of colonization, the 
more I became convinced that the right method for developing Brazil, 
both in population and in her great agricultural productions, had been 
discovered, and I did not hesitate, in several editions of this work, to 
urge it as a model colony where the newly arrived did " not have the 
pressing cares of the pioneer ; where under the protection of a large 
proprietor, whose interests were theirs, they were not the victims of 
speculating land-companies ; " and, finally, a colon}' where their own 
benefits and necessities " would keep them from indolence." But, in 
1879, I must confess that the subsequent results have disappointed 
every hope that I had entertained in this respect. There are but few 
of the government and still fewer private colonies that have realized 
the hopes of their founders. The government has doubtless been 
honest in its efforts, but the want of conscience and the greed of 
agents for Brazil abroad produced extravagant prospectuses, filled 
with glaring falsehoods, and resulted in luring to Brazil some honest 
men, and a great many ignorant, indolent, dissipated, vicious "loaf- 
ers " of European cities who w r ere all doomed to disappointment. 
Thus, the best intentions of the government were thwarted, and its 
good name greatly injured. The Vergueiro sj'stem and almost all 
private colonization have proved failures, and so the same ma} T be said 
in general of the official system. In the latter case, a few unscrupu- 
lous men have profited b}' the offices and agencies created by the Impe- 
rial Government. After the overthrow of the Southern confederacy, 
the emigration of Southerners was attempted, but signally failed, very 
few Southerners now being found in Brazil. A small number of the 
German colonies are the only ones which have succeeded. This sub- 
ject is more fully treated in the concluding chapter. 

We had been kindly invited to dine at the mansion-house, and it 
is unnecessary that I should particularize the component parts of 
a most sumptuous dinner. Suffice it to say that the "fat of the 
land" was there in profusion, and that the "feast of reason," &c. 

was well supplied by Sr. Luiz V., Dr. , and the intelligent 

padre, who conversed fluently in both French and German. 

The doctor and myself left Ybecaba at a late hour, and, after a 
pleasant ride by moonlight, reached Limeira. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A NEW DISEASE — THE CULTURE OF CHINESE TEA IN BRAZIL — MODUS OPERANDI — 
THE DECEIVED CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICIALS — PROBABLE EXTENSION OF TEA-CULTURE 

IN SOUTH AMERICA HOMEWARD BOUND MY COMPANION SENHOR JOSE" AND A 

LITTLE DIFFICULTY WITH HIM CALIFORNIA AND THE MUSICAL INNKEEPER 

EARLY START AND THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER THE SENHORES BROTERO OF 

S. PAULO FOURTH OF JULY INAUGURATED IN AN ENGLISH FAMILY — "YANKEE 

DOODLE" ON THE PLAINS OF YPIRANGA LAME AND IMPOTENT CONCLUSION 

ASTRONOMY UNDER DIFFICULTIES DELIVERANCE RETURN TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The next day after my visit to Ybecaba, I was employed in 

obtaining such information from Dr. as one would be sure to 

find in a man of intelligence and observation who had long resided 
in the country. I made many inquiries in regard to the various 
diseases of Brazil, and the remarks of this experienced physician 
confirmed my own oft-repeated opinion that few portions of the 
world could boast of so great a salubrity as this Empire. 

Probably no tropical country has been so exempt from a general 
disease as Brazil. It has only been within the last five years that 
the yellow fever invaded these healthy realms, and not until 1855 
has that dreadful scourge, the cholera, touched these shores. The 
ravages of these two devouring pestilences — both of which were 
confined to a narrow belt of the sea-coast — have been greatly over- 
estimated. During the prevalence of the cholera in the vicinity 
of Bahia, I was in that city of one hundred and twenty thousand 
inhabitants. I have seen it gravely stated in American and Eng- 
lish journals that so great was the mortality and the panic there 
that there were not enough people left to bury the dead ! Now, 
if the perpetrators of this horrible fiction had given the truth, 
they would have described a great deal of sickness among the 
blacks and much panic among the whites; that, out of a provincial 
population of nearly a million, 9,490 died from all diseases in the 
414 



A New Disease. 415 

political year 1855-6, the majority of eases being cholera, but that 
business went on as usual. I was in Eio de Janeiro during several 
yellow-fever seasons, and though — from personal knowledge, by 
visiting the hospitals and examining the list of the deceased — I 
ascertained that a truly large proportion of the foreigners in the 
city did fall before the terrific disease, yet, as a general thing, 
there were about as many natives that died of consumption each 
day as of the yellow fever. 

Though no general pestilence has swept through the land, yet 
there are peculiar diseases in different parts of the Empire. In 
some of the mountainous districts there exists the same swelling 
of the throat and neck which is known in Switzerland as goitre. 
The Brazilians call it papos; and Yon Martius says that he found 
in the valley of the Parahiba .River instances of this swelling larger 
than are seen in Europe, but not accompanied with the melancholy 
and idiotic appearance so often combined with the goitre in Switzer- 
land, Germany, and Northern Italy. 

At Limeira I became aware of a new disease, which, like the 
goitre, seems to be confined to certain localities. I was sitting in 

the office of Dr. , conversing with him in regard to Brazil, 

when I observed a Portuguese, about sixty years of age, enter, and 
demand, with great earnestness, if he thought that he could live. 
Soon after, a middle-aged Brazilian came, and, seeming to cling to 
the words of the physician as tenaciously as to a divine oracle, 
made nearly the same interrogatory. Neither of these men ap- 
peared in ill health, and, if I had not heard them state that they 
had great difficulty in swallowing, I would have considered them 
in a perfect sanitary condition. Upon inquiry, I ascertained from 
the doctor that these men had a disease which is widely prevalent 
in some portions of Interior Brazil, but he has never seen a notice 
of it in any medical work whatever. The Brazilians call it iwJ 
de engasgo. The first indication of its existence is a difficulty in 
swallowing. The patient can swallow dry substances better than 
fluids. Wine or milk can be drunken with more facility than 
water; still, both are attended with difficulty. To take thin broth 
is an impossibility. In some cases fluids have been conveyed to 
the stomach in connection with some solid. The person thus 
affected appears to be in good health, but in five or six years death 



416 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ensues from actual starvation. The sufferings of such a one was 
described to me as most horrible. 

Some physicians in the province of San Paulo think it a paralysis 

of the oesophagus ; but Dr. , who has seen many cases of mal de 

engasgo, inclines to the belief that it is a thickening of the mucous 
membrane. As the oesophagus is in general the least affected by 
disease of any part of the body, and is very rarely paralyzed, he 
cannot believe that so wide-spread a disease as the mal de engasgo 
can proceed from paralysis. Living as he does in the interior, it 
is difficult to obtain a subject for dissection, or permission to make 
a post-mortem examination, and therefore he has had no oppor- 
tunity for a thorough investigation of the disease ; but it is his 
intention to do so as soon as facilities present themselves, and then 
to lay the result before the medical world. He informed me that 
he was called to visit a man suffering from this malady eighty 
miles from Limeira, and to his astonishment he found in the same 
room no less than nine persons similarly affected. As yet no 
remedy has been found. The full extent of country over which 
the mal de engasgo prevails is not known ; but to this physician's 
certain knowledge it exists from Limeira (two hundred miles from 
the sea-coast) to G-oyaz, — a distance of four hundred miles. It is 
not found upon the coast; and a journey to the sea-board always 
benefits the afflicted patient. In 1855 I communicated the above 
facts in regard to the mal de engasgo to the New York " Journal 
of Commerce." A few days after its publication, a physician of 
Brooklyn suggested, in the columns of the same journal, that 
there might be erysipelas at the bottom of the disease. He gave 
as an instance one of his own patients who suffered from symp- 
toms like those described, and which finally resulted in the 
discovery of erysipelas. I know that one case of similarity in a 
disease does not prove a general rule : still, the subject is worthy 
of investigation. 

One topic of our conversation possesses a far more general in- 
terest than the nature of a new disease : it was the cultivation 
of the Chinese tea in Brazil. 

There is probably no other country where the culture of this 
Asiatic shrub has been so successful away from its native region. 
The Portuguese language is the only European tongue which has 



The Culture of Chinese Tea. 417 

preserved the Chinese name {cha) for tea; and as the stranger at 
Rio de Janeiro and other towns of the Empire passes the vendas, 
he is always sure to see a printed card suspended, announcing Cha 
da India and Cha Nagional : the former is the designation given to 
tea from China, and the latter to the same production grown in 
Brazil. 

In 1810, the first plants of this exotic were introduced at Eio de 
Janeiro, and its cultivation for a time was chiefly confined to the 
Botanical Garden near the capital and to the royal farm at Santa 
Cruz. In order to secure the best possible treatment for the tea, 
which it was anticipated would soon flourish so as to supply the 
European market, the Count of Linhares, Prime Minister of Por- 
tugal, procured the immigration of several hundred colonists, not 
from the mingled population of the coast of China, but from the 
interior of the Celestial Empire, — persons acquainted with the 
whole process of training the tea-plant and of preparing tea. 

This was probably the first colony from Asia that ever settled in 
the New World, of which we have authentic records. The colonists, 
however, were not contented with their expatriation : they did not 
prosper, and they have now disappeared. Owing in part, doubt- 
less, to characteristic differences in the soil of Brazil from that of 
China, and perhaps as much to imperfect means of preparing the 
leaf when grown, the Chinese themselves did not succeed in pro- 
ducing the most approved specimens of tea. The enthusiasm of 
anticipation, being unsustained by experiment, soon died away; 
and near the city of Eio de Janeiro the cultivation of tea has 
dwindled down to be little more than an exotic grown on a large 
scale at the Botanical Gardens. 

As a Government matter it was a failure; but several Paulista 
planters took up the culture, and, though they encountered years 
of discouragement, they have lived to see it, though as yet in its 
infancy, one of the most flourishing and remunerative branches of 
Brazilian agriculture. 

Between Santos and San Paulo, near San Bernardo, I saw large 
and productive tea-plantations. The manner of its culture differs 
but little from that adopted in China. Tea is raised from the seed, 
which, being preserved in brown sugar, can be transported to any 

portion of the country. These little tea-balls are planted in beds, 

27 



418 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and then, in the manner of cabbage-plants, are transported to the 
field and placed five feet apart. The shrubs are kept very clean 
by the hoe, or by the plough, which, though a recent introduc- 
tion, has on some plantations been eminently successful for this 
purpose. 

The shrubs are never allowed to attain a height of more than 
four feet; and the leaves are considered ready for picking the 
third year after planting. The culture, the gathering, and the 
preparation of tea are not difficult, and children are profitably 
and efficiently employed in the various modes of arranging it for 
market. The apparatus used is very simple, consisting of — 1. 
Baskets, in which the leaves are deposited when collected; 2. Carved 
framework, on which they are rolled, one by one; 3. Open ovens, 
or large metallic pans, in which the tea is dried by means of a fire 
beneath. Women and children gather the leaves and carry them 
to the ovens, where slave-men are engaged in keeping up the fire, 
stirring, squeezing, and rolling the tea, — which operations are all 
that it requires before packing it in boxes for home-sale or for ex- 
portation to the neighboring provinces. 

The tea-plant is a hardy shrub, and can be cultivated in almost 
any portion of Brazil, though it is perhaps better adapted to the 
South, where frosts prevail, and which it resists. If left to itself in 
the tropics, it will soon run up to a tree. The coffee-tree requires 
rich and new soil, and a warm climate unknown to frosts; but the 

tea-plant will flourish in any soil. Dr. , who visited various 

portions of China, is of the opinion that the cha can be grown in 
any part of the United States from Pennsylvania to the Mexican 
Gulf. There are not many varieties of the plant, as is often sup- 
posed, black and green teas being merely the leaves of the same 
tree obtained at different seasons of the year. The flavor is some- 
times varied, as that of wines from the same species of grape grown 
on different soils. The plant is not deciduous, as in China, and in 
Brazil is gathered from March to July, which in the Northern 
hemisphere would correspond to the interval between September 
and January. 

I was informed that several million pounds are now annually 
prepared in the provinces of San Paulo and Minas-Geraes, and its 
culture is on the increase. 



The Deceived Custom-House Officials. 419 

Some years ago the tea-planters were greatly discouraged; for 
the cha was badly prepared, was sold too new, and hence the de- 
mand did not increase. But, since a greater experience in its cul- 
ture and preparation, a better article for this favorite beverage 
has met with corresponding encouragement. Formerly the culti- 
vators said that, if they could obtain sixteen cents per pound 
wholesale, it would be as remunerative as coffee. In 1855, twenty 
cents for the poorer article could be obtained; and for superior 
qualities — the greater portion of the crop — forty cents per pound 
wholesale was readily commanded. The demand for it is constantly 
increasing. When rightly prepared, it is not inferior to that im- 
ported from China. Much, indeed, of the tea sold in the province 
of San Paulo as cha da India has merely made the sea-voyage from 
Santos to Eio de Janeiro, and there, after being packed in Chinese 
boxes, is sent back to the Paulistas as the genuine aromatic leaf 
from the Celestial Empire. I have seen foreigners in Brazil who 
esteemed themselves connoisseurs in tea deceived by the best cha 
nagional. 

A few years ago, Mr. John Budge, of the province of San Paulo, 
sent some tea from his plantation as a present to his relatives in 
Bio de Janeiro. This was prepared very nicely, each separate leaf 
having been rolled by the slaves between the thumb and forefinger 
until it looked like small shot. It was thus invested with a foreign 
appearance, packed in small Chinese tea-caddies, and shipped at 
Santos for the capital. When the caddies arrived, they were seized 
at the custom-house as an attempt to defraud the revenue. It was 
on the other hand insisted that the boxes contained cha nagional, 
although, by some neglect, they did not appear upon the manifest. 
The parties to whom the tea had been sent offered to have it sub- 
mitted to inspection. The caddies were opened, and the custom- 
house officials screamed with triumph, adding to their former sus- 
picions the evidence of their senses, for the sight, the taste, the 
smell of the nicely-prepared tea proclaimed emphatically that it 
was cha da India, and that this was an attempt to defraud His 
Imperial Majesty's customs. It was not until letters were sent 
to Santos, and in reply the certificates of that provincial custom- 
house had been received, that the collectors at Bio were satisfied 
that there was no fraud, and that the province of San Paulo 



420 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

could produce as good tea as that brought around the Cape of 
Good Hope. 

A few years may suffice to show on the pages of the "Commerce 
and Navigation" of Great Britain and the United States that tea 
enters largely into the articles of importation from Brazil. Fifty 
years only have elapsed since the first cargo of coffee was shipped 
from Bio de Janeiro, and now Brazil supplies two-thirds of the coffee 
of the world. The revolution in Hayti was the commencement of 
a new era for the coffee of Brazil. 

In 1846, Dr. learned that several planters were about to 

root up their tea-shrubs. He besought them not to carry out their 
intention; "for," said he, "there is to be a great revolution in 
China, [in 1845 he had been informed in the Celestial Empire of the 
existence of the Triad Society,] and the price of teas will be sure to 
go up in a few years." The disheartened planters were encouraged 
to go on; and, only a short time before my visit to Limeira, one of 

these fazendeiros sent to Dr. several pounds of most excellent 

tea, at the same time assuring him (the doctor) of his deep grati- 
tude for having been prevented from the destruction of his planta- 
tion. He had found it exceedingly remunerative, and next year 
he intended to enter into more extensive operations. 

Throughout the world the use of tea is becoming as universal as 
that of coffee, and any continued disturbance in China must bring 
into prominent notice the tea-culture of Brazil. The recolte is now 
almost entirely used within the Empire; but the adaptability of the 
culture to almost any portion of the immense territory, and the 
ease by which it can be carried on, will doubtless, in a very brief 
period of time, fully develop this new source of national wealth. 

It was on the morning of the 2d of July that I set out on my 
departure from Limeira. I shall never forget the kindness and 
attention of my generous host, as well as the welcome reception at 
the model plantation of Senator Yergueiro. The few days spent 
there so pleasantly gave me fresh hopes and great encouragement 
for the future of Brazil.* 



* At Limeira I met a German engineer, who, with his accomplished Hamburgese 
wife, (to whom I am indebted for the sketches of the bridge at Cubitao and the 
German colonist's house) forms an agreeable society for Dr. . 



Homeward Bound. 421 

The moon was shining brightly as I bade farewell to the two 
Americans and turned my face, for the first time in months, home- 
ward. I rode on in silence for half an hour, and was then over- 
taken by a "lone horseman" going in the direction of Qampinas. 
We journeyed together, and at noon we halted near a clear, purling 
brook, and beneath the shade of lofty, overarching trees we 
shared a palatable dish of farinha de milho and fried chick on, which 
the good mulher of the Paulista had thoughtfully provided for his 
journey. I have often had occasion to speak of the kindness mani- 
fested by Brazilians of all classes toward strangers. The casual 
visitor to Brazil may, in the coast-cities, come in contact with 
shopkecping Portuguese, whose fleecing propensities are not ex- 
celled by their brethren in London, Paris, or New York; and 
hence he may grandly generalize, in writing home to some obscure 
journal, that the Brazilians are the greatest set of rascals in the 
world. 

My travelling-companion was a carpenter, but was an adept in 
other crafts. My horse having cast two of his shoes, we turned to 
a road-side venda and purchased the necessary articles, which Sr. 
Tomaso attached with all the skill of a practised blacksmith. 

We arrived at Campinas at four o'clock in the afternoon. J rode 
immediately to a hospederia ; but the innkeeper seemed so perfectly 
indifferent as to custom that J bade him good-day, and sought the 
house of an English daguerreotypist, to whom J. had letters. I 
had there a warm welcome, and the remainder of daylight was 
spent in rambling through this mud built city in company with my 

host and an Italian physician to whom Dr. of Limeira had 

given me a note of introduction. I found much to interest me in 
the vast cathedral, built wholly of tai/pa: the carved woodwork 
(reminding one of old European cloisters) was by some mulatto 
sculptors from Bahia, and would have done credit to the best 
Italian artists in that line. The physician, who was a fierce Mal- 
Ihusian, entertained me with long-winded speeches in support of 
his favorite ideas, until I finally obtained a respite by leading him 
on to souk; wonderful snake-stories, which, though equalling in length 
(the stories, not the snakes) his Malthusian arguments, were far 
more interesting. 

I shall here break the continuity of my narrative to call attention 



422 Brazil and thk Brazilians. 

to a Brazilian, a native of this part of the Empire. When I was at 
Campinas, in 1855, there was in that place a lad who was just sixteen, 
and of whom every one spoke as being a genius in music ; a prodigy, 
whether in composing, in singing, or in pjaying upon instruments. 
Little did I then think that from Campinas would go forth the first 
composer whose music would be heard with enthusiasm in La Scala 
of Milan, the San Carlo of Naples, and in the Royal Italian Opera, 
London. Antonio Carlos Gomes, the composer of the Guarany, Fosca, 
Salvatore Rosa, and Maria Tudor, is a Brazilian pur sangue, as were 
his ancestors for several generations before him. He was born at 
Campinas, June 14, 1839. His father was the leader of the band in 
Campinas, and was no mean musician and composer. At a ver}' 
early age the band-master instilled his own musical spirit into his 
two sons, one of whom, Antonio Carlos, soon manifested an unusual 
degree of precocity and studiousness. He was first taught the violin, 
then the clarionet, and finally the piano. Before he was fifteen years 
of age he became renowned in the whole region for his singing and 
for his remarkable, clear, sympathetic, and thrilling soprano voice, 
which he possessed up to the time he was sixteen. In all the church 
festivals people flocked from far and near to hear the famous boy 
soprano. The year before my earlier visit to Campinas, Carlos 
Gomes (for thus his compatriots call him. dropping the Antonio) 
saw for the first time the whole opera of the Trovatore. It is still 
recalled, how, stealing out by himself, with Verdi's masterpiece in his 
hands, he sought the shade of trees, and there became ecstatic over 
the wonderful music. He sang it, he acted it, he went through the 
movements as if he were playing upon the orchestral instruments used, 
— and, in short, he seemed as if beside himself. From that moment 
he began to create. Ordinary musical instruments he rejected, and 
only used the piano for his compositions. Friends urged the father 
to send his son Carlos to the conservatory of music at Rio. Gomes 
Senior would hear nothing of it, and turned from Carlos to his brother 
Jose, who became a noted violinist. But Carlos renewed his prac- 
tice, and finally, at twenty-two, went with Jose to Sao Paulo, where 
they gave concerts together. The students of the university were 
carried away with enthusiasm for them. They daily feted the two 
Gomes, and revelled in their music. One of the students, now well 
known in Brazil as an advocate and poet, — Sr. Bittencourt Sampaie, — 



Gomes. 



423 



wrote a student's song and entitled it the Hymno Academico, for which 
Gomes composed a most spirit-stirring tune. That was in 1859, but 
successive classes of students have ever since sang with might and 




GOMES. 



main the words of Bittencourt Sampaio to the music of Gomes. Gomes 
also composed many beautiful pieces of song-music, which, as well- 
known modinhas, were sung from one end of the empire to the other. 



424 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

It was from Sao Paulo that, without means, and without even 
asking his father's permission, he went precipitately to Rio cle Janeiro 
to enter the conservatorio of music. How to do it was the question. 
Fortunately, he had a letter to the most wortlry Countess of Barral, 
the instructress of the Princesses, and w r ho had the warm friendship 
of their Majesties. Suffice to sa}' that the Emperor ;t protected," as 
he has so man}" others, the young Gomes. This was in 1859. His 
progress was so rapid that, in 1861, his first operatic composition was 
performed in public, and was enthusiastically received. In 1863 he 
went to complete his studies in Europe. 1864 found him under 
Lauro Rossi in Milan. Before 1868, two or three of his operettas 
became popular ; but, in 1870, musical Europe was startled by a 
grand opera entitled the Guarany. The treatment might be said to 
belong to the Italian school ; but there was something so new, so 
fresh, so breez} 7 , so odorous with the breath of tropical forests and 
tropical passion, that it at once exacted the highest praises from com- 
posers like Verdi, and from the first musical critics of Italy. The 
theme was of the New World. The Guarany (from the romance of 
the Brazilian Alencar) is the stor} 7 of the Indians of Brazil and Para- 
guay in contact with the sons of Europe. Gomes leaped at once 
into the first rank of living composers. Italy, France, England, and 
other countries rendered him homage. At the age of thirty, Gonies 
was famous. In 1876 (the } T ear of the representation of the Guarany 
in London), Gomes, at the telegraphic request of Dom Pedro, sent 
his march to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. His Fosca r 
Salvator Bosa, and Maria Tudor, have been successes in Italy. Musical 
critics have noted that, in the musical season of 1872-73 at Milan, 
out of fifty-seven representations, Gomes' s Fosca was given fifteen 
times, Meybeer's Africana fourteen times, the Sappho of Pacini eleven 
times, the Aida of Verdi six times, &c. ; so that the Brazilian had 
the honors of the day. But doubtless the Guarany, from the nov- 
elty of its theme and composition, will never wane in popularity. 

But to return to the thread of my former narrative, I made arrange- 
ments at the house of a mule-dealer for an extra animal, which was 
to carry me forward on the morrow, as my Rosinante gave evidence 
of exhaustion. My newly-engaged quadruped was to be forthcoming, 
together with a guide, at sunrise. The sunrise came, and two suc- 
ceeding hours ; but neither biped nor quadruped appeared. Finally* 



Sr. Jose and a Little Difficulty. 425 

when almost in despair, the long-expected pair clattered up to the 
door. The usual apologies of "mules in pasture," " difficult to 
catch," &c, were offered and accepted. I soon perceived that my 
guide, instead of being a mere employee, was the son of the pro- 
prietor of the animals which we bestrode, — that he was not simply 
Jose, but Senhor Jose, — and that he was musical withal. I, how-, 
ever, feared that his position as a gentleman might somewhat inter- 
fere with our direct service. 

We rode on through a finely-cultivated region, large coffee-planta- 
tions stretching on either hand as far as the e} T e could reach, variegated 
with fields of waving sugar-cane or groups of umbrageous forest- trees. 
My companion enlivened the way by many songs to the Virgin and 
" to his mistress's eyebrows ; " but, when the sun had sunk beneath 
the horizon, Sr. Jose concluded that we had journeyed far enough for 
one day, and proposed that we should tarry for the night at the 
house of a planter near b} T . To this I strong!}' objected, as my 
contract was that I should be carried for a specific sum to a specific 
point, several leagues farther on. I found that he was no underling, 
to be crossed in his wishes ; and he firmly resisted. I would have 
left him where he was, without further ado ; but, knowing the diffi- 
culty of separating animals that have travelled in compairv, I thought 
best to compromise the matter by stating that we would remain here 
for the night, in which case, however, the compensation would be 
several milreis less than if we had accomplished the contemplated 
number of leagues. But he was not the man for a compromise : he 
demanded full pay for short work. I then determined, at all hazards, 
to push on without him. I found my perverse horse as stubborn as 
Sr. Jose. I endeavored to start him in the direction of Sao Paulo : 
he, however, was resolved to travel only toward the plantation. I 
spurred the mule, which I rode, after him, endeavoring to head oft' 
the horse : this I found a most difficult task. Sr. Jose, meantime, 
sat motionless as a statue, secretly and maliciously enjoj'ing my un- 
successful efforts. I was fatigued be}'ond measure ; but my will was 
unbroken (as well as that of my horse) , and at last victoiy crowned 
my struggles; and, shouting to Sr. Jose, '•'■Boa noite" and tri- 
umphantly exclaiming, " I know how to protect 1113- rights," I trotted 
off, Rosinante in advance, toward Sao Paulo. 

Glancing over nry shoulder, I beheld nry guide still statue-like be- 



426 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

striding his mule, and comparable to an}' thing else than " Patience on 
a monument smiling at grief." Poetically speaking, he was planted. 

My way was now over a good road, though the overhanging forest 
obscured almost every ra}' of moonlight. My animal went gayly on, 
leaving, however, time enough for a few reflections. Among them 
the most prominent was, " Suppose Sr. Jose rides after me and salutes 
me in the back with his long knife (facet de ponta,) which looked 
innocent enough when reposing in its sheath or cutting an orange. In 
all m^ travels in Brazil I never carried a weapon of any kind, and 
this was the first time that I felt the least suspicion that all might not 
be perfectly safe. In the midst of these reflections and thoughts 
about that long knife, I had accomplished more than a half-league, 
when I heard the rapid movement of- mule hoofs. Sr. Jose came 
thundering up the hill, and overtook me. Instead, however, of a 
knife-salutation or loud words, he instantly, in the mildest possible 
voice, suggested that we should change beasts, as he was very much 
fatigued, and that the difference in the gait of the two animals would 
be a relief to both parties. We went on as cosily as if nothing had 
happened, and at eleven o'clock rode up to the house of one Sr. Joa 
Baptista, whose residence was christened with the mellifluous and 
auriferous name of California. 

We soon aroused Sr. J. Baptista, who, while we sipped our cha, 
tinkled on his guitar u many a roundelay." I informed Sr. J. B. that 
the morrow was the dia da independencia in the United States, and 
requested the favor of " Hail Columbia." Sr. J. B. declined, on the 
ground of not possessing the tune in question ; but (like a skilful 
shopkeeper who, destitute of a certain article, suggests to his customer 
another which, in his estimation, is equally good if not superior) Sr. 
J. B. proposed the Brazileiro, as being nearer the required national 
air than any thing else in his musical treasury. Its spirit-stirring 
strains were quivering in my ear when I thought how difficult it would 
be to find in the back-woods of Wisconsin or Minnesota accom- 
plished musicians such as Sr. J. B, or Sr. Jose, who was also skilled 
in the art. The Brazilians, as a whole, are a musical people ; and 
sometimes, during a storm, when I have been plodding on in dark- 
ness, I have been cheered by the sound of a violin, a guitar, or by 
human voices singing sweetly in concert. 

I could sleep but little, and that little was rudely interrupted, 



Fourth of July Inaugurated at S. Paulo. 



42 




HERCULES BEETLE. 



(whether by a giant beetle or a stealthy bat I was unable to ascer- 
tain ;) and I jumped from my hard bed at two o'clock on the morning 
of the Fourth of July, and aroused the 
household of Sr. J. Baptista and the 
sleepers in the neighboring rancho, by 
screaming at the top of my voice the 
'• Star-spangled Banner." 

I bade my musical host and Senhor 
Jose adeos, mounted nry Rosinante, and 
accomplished thirtj'-two miles before 
breakfast. My primary object had been 
to get to Santos, in order to take the 
steamer of the 6th for Rio ; and a second- 
ary consideration was to celebrate the 
Fourth of July at the house of Mr. E., 
the English engineer. 

I visited Senhor Brotero, the Regent 
of the Law- School for which San Paulo 
is so justly celebrated. Madame Brotero I found to be a country- 
woman from Boston. I also made the acquaintance of Senhor Brotero, 
Jr., to whom Senhor Octaviano, the accomplished editor of one of 
the journals of Rio, had given me a letter of introduction. This 
gentleman, who bade fair to be one of the leading men of S. Paulo, 
possessed enlarged views, and had the advantage of extended travel 
in Europe and North America ; but death snatched him away. 

It was a pleasant forenoon that I spent with Mr. and Mrs. E. and 
Mr. C, inaugurating with them the celebration of nry nation's birth- 
day. Mr. C, however, threw something of a damper upon my 
patriotism by dropping in, " By- the- way, it is the birthday of 
George III. ; " but chronology shows that Mr. C. was just four weeks 
out of the way, and his inappropriate remark in no manner marred 
the general harmony of the occasion. 

These and other friends pressed me not to hasten on at m} T rapid 
rate, thinking that thirty-two miles before breakfast was sufficient for 
one day ; but my purpose was to make twenty miles that night before 
I sought repose. 

Senhor Coelho (the maitre-d' hotel) had procured for me a fine mule. 
He was a lithe animal, and, when I mounted, he bounded away as 



428 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



though he had wings. He clattered through the streets, descended 
the hill, splashed through a little affluent of the La Plata, and, just 
as the sun was setting, went galloping gayly over the plains of 
Ypiranga. I soon came in sight of the pavilion erected over the 
spot where Dom Pedro I. exclaimed Independencia ou Morte, and, 
being animated with Fourth-of-July sentiments, I gave vent to my 
patriotism in shouting, at a furious rate, "Yankee Doodle" and 
" Hail Columbia," to the no small amusement and astonishment of 
the sable passers-by. 

I reached San Bernardo and passed through its silent streets. The 
atmosphere was laden with the perfume, of some sweet night-opening 




YANKEE DOODLE ON THE PLAINS OF YPIRANGA. 



flower, and the sky overhead seemed joyous as my homeward-bound 
spirits. M}' mule nagged not, and I was congratulating nryself that 
my journey's end would soon be accomplished, when, to my surprise, 
the spirited beast whirled suddenly to the right, and plunged into 
the stable- yard adjoining a large white house. I kicked, and cuffed, 
and spurred, all to no purpose. The noise which I made aroused 
two poncho-clad Brazilians, who came toward me, thus discoursing 
in Portuguese : " Yes, it is he." " No ; let me look again." " Yes, 
I am certain it is." These little monosyllables are as brief and 
as elliptical in the language of Lusitania as in the plainest Saxon, and 
could give me no clew to the meaning of the locutors. I was not, 



Lame and Impotent Conclusions. 429 

however, long left in doubt ; for one of them approached, and thus 
addressed me : " Senhor, isto e meu animal.'''' ("This is my beast, 
sir.") Supposing that he was mildly accusing me of theft, I replied 
that he must be mistaken, for I had hired that mule at S. Paulo. 
"It may be," he said ; "but still he is mine." I then ascertained 
that the man was the proprietor of my long-eared steed, and that 
he (the proprietor) had preceded me in company with a number of 
law-students who were on their way to Santos. Feeling by this 
time much fatigued, and considering the stubbornness that had come 
over my quadruped, I asked if I might lodge at the house for the 
night. The other personage now turned up his sombrero and in- 
formed me that there was no room in the inn, but possibly I might 
be accommodated a mile farther on. I could not make my mule stir ; 
so these two benevolent individuals aided me in whipping and kick- 
ing the brute until he was fairly under way. I had, however, 
advanced only five hundred yards, when master long-ears pulls me up 
again, and no dint of beating, pulling, pounding, and tugging could 
make him budge a peg on the " forward march." He willingly beat 
a retreat, and the next moment I again stood before the white 
hospedaria from which I had been politely sent away a short time 
before. My two new-made acquaintances were soon by my side, 
and I once more begged for a room. One of them gave a negative 
answer ; but, when I suggested that I was willing to pay a good 
price for my accommodations, he left me as if to consult some one. 
I then heard an emphatic female voice screech out, " Nad, senhor." 
This reply was brought to me, and I sent back word that I had 
letters from Senator Vergueiro, showing that I was a respectable 
person. It was of no avail, for at each fresh attempt to move the 
tender mercies of the woman to whom belonged that voice, I re- 
ceived a more emphatic " Ndo, senhor ." My last resort was to 
claim, in " the sacred name of Brazilian hospitality, only room 
enough upon their floor for a stranger who is here stopped con- 
trary to his own will." The reply was the same, " Nao, senhor" 
"Then," said I, "it is an outrageous shame. I have travelled 
through a number of your provinces, and have mingled much with 
the rich and the poor, but this is the first time that I have been 
unable to obtain shelter. Here I am, compelled before a large 
house to pass the night in the road." My appeals and denim- 



430 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ciation* were equally unsuccessful ; so I sat down upon a curbstone, 
holding the bridle of my obstinate and tired animal. Poor fellow ! his 
fatigue was not equal to mine. I had ridden since morning nearly 

fifty miles, and had 
spent seven hours in 
San Paulo. Three or 
four days had elapsed 
since I had had a com- 
fortable sleep, and the 
night air was keen for 
Brazil, though it was 
as balmy as a May 
evening in the North- 
ern hemisphere. The 
bod} r , however, was 
not suffering so much 
as the mind. I felt 
this inhospitalit.y to the 
quick. I sat with m}' 
head bowed down upon 
my left hand, turning 
my e}^es from time to 
time toward the stars 
and the waning moon. 
It was studying astron- 
omy under difficult cir- 
cumstances, so that I did not make much progress. 

While thinking of my condition, and feeling that it was worse, 
and my treatment more outrageous, than when, a mere innocent 
student-traveller, I was once taken prisoner on suspicion b}*" the 
Austrians in Lombardy, and led b} T an armed soldier through 
the streets of Pavia, I was aroused from my reflections by an 
old negress, who said to me, "Come here, senhor." I followed 
her to a comfortable room, where she left me with a nice cup of tea 
and doce accompaniments. My mule was cared for, as well as 
nryself ; and when the morning sun awoke me I found that I was to 
have as my fellow-travellers the young law-students. I ascertained 
that this house was kept by a respectable Brazilian widow, who was 




ASTRONOMY UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. 



Return to Rio de Janeiro. 431 

making a large fortune by letting mules for riding or for the trans- 
portation of baggage, and that whoever employed her animals in 
S. Paulo would be entertained gratis at this otherwise inhospitable 
hospedaria. It so happened that the students and nvyself Were not 
aware of this regulation, and had hired our mules of a muleteer, 
who had guided them as far as this house. Here the young " legals " 
insisted on stopping. The Donna da Casa refused them accommo- 
dation, and they had taken possession vi et armis. It may be that, 
owing to Sra. being somewhat embittered hy such proceedings, she 
had refused me when I pleaded the name of Senator Vergueiro and 
Brazilian hospitality. I was (justly, as I thought) indignant for a 
time, and entertained an idea that it would be right that the public 
should know through the Rio journals of such treatment to an 
estrangeiro ; but the more I reflected upon it, I became rather ashamed 
of my indignation. I had travelled thousands of miles in Brazil, and 
this was the first experience of the bitter ; and how foolish it would 
be to lay it before the public ! The widow had a perfect right to 
make such regulations as she chose concerning her household, and 
an Anglo-American who is firm for the independence of the home- 
castle is assuredly the last man who ought to complain. So I dis- 
missed the whole subject, and have never recurred to it since, except 
to indulge in a laugh at my own ludicrous position in the stable-3'ard, 
and the tableau of the stubborn mule and the curbstone. Thus 
ended my Fourth of Jul}'. 

The next day I arrived with my student-friends at Santos, and, 
after enjo}ing for a few da} T s more the hospitalnVv of Casa Vergueiro, 
I steamed away in the comfortable old Paraense for Rio de Janeiro. 
From San Sebastian to the Sugar-Loaf we were pitched about in fine 
style b} r an angry sea ; but the sun shone forth brilliantly as on the 
following day we lay under the guns of Villegagnon, and the glorious 
panorama of the magnificent bay, sparkling in the freshness of 
morning, lost none of its splendor by comparison with the beautiful 
scenes which I had witnessed in Southern Brazil, and which I after- 
ward found unequalled in the provinces of the North. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 



THE BRAZILIAN NORTH — EXTENT OF THE EMPIRE — THE FALLS OF ITAMARITY — 
GIGANTIC FIG-TREE — THE KEEL-BILL — A PLANTATION IN MINAS-GERAES — PETER 
PARLEY IN BRAZIL — SWEET LEMONS — BARONIAL STYLE — THE PADRE — VESPER- 
HOURS THE PLANTATION-ORCHESTRA THE WHITE ANTS OBEDIENT TO THE 

CHURCH THE GREAT ANT-EATER — THE PACA THE MUSICAL CART — THE MINES 

AND OTHER RESOURCES OF MINAS-GERAES — COFFEE : ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE 

THE PROVINCE OF GOYAZ STINGLESS BEES AND SOUR HONEY MATO GROSSO 

LONG RIVER-ROUTE TO THE ATLANTIC A NEW THOROUGHFARE LIEUTENANT 

THOMAS J. PAGE THE SURVEY OF THE LA PLATA AND ITS AFFLUENTS FIRST 

AMERICAN STEAMER AT CORUMBA STEAMBOAT-NAVIGATION ON THE PARAGUAY 

OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN NAVY DR. KANE AND LIEUTENANT STRAIN 

DIAMOND AND GOLD MINES THE HINDERERS OF PROGRESS THE DIFFERENCE 

IN THE RESULTS FROM DIAMONDS AND COFFEE. 






c 




Now to the North : not 
the Boreal North, with 
hoary beard and glisten- 
ing spears and crunch- 
ing ice-batteries, — but a 
genial, sunny, laughing, 
flowery, Austral North. 
We on the hither side 
of the equator are so 
wedded to experience, 
that it is difficult to con- 
ceive of a North where 

"The fields are florid in eternal prime," 

and where mighty rivers, with 
unabated force, sweep onward, — 

"And traverse realms unknown and bloom 
ing wilds, 
And fruitful deserts, worlds of solitude ; 
Where the sun smiles and seasons teem in vain" 




CASCADE OF ITAMARITY, NEAR PETROPOLIS. 



Extent of the Empire. 433 

J could never become accustomed to look for the sun and 
the equator in the direction which all past experience told me 
was the region of stern winter. I could not be reconciled to 
the idea that the southern front of my Brazilian residence was 
the coldest side, although I knew that reason and geography 
informed me that that portion of my house looked toward the 
Falkland Islands and the unexplored snow-continent of the 
Antarctic zone. 

But to the Brazilian North ! If by land, it will be many months 
of painful journeys up mountains and hills, through deuse forests 
and jungles, over wide campos and broad rivers, before we reach 
the Serra Pacaranua, which divides Brazil and Venezuela. I have 
not seen the record of a single traveller who has ever accomplished 
this long terrestrial route. Eschwege, Rodriguez, Ferreira, Natterer, 
Mawe, Prince Maximilian, Spix and Yon Martius, St. Hilaire, Langs- 
dorf, Pohl, Burchell, Gardner, Strain, Castlenau, Prof. Agassiz, 
Burton, and Hart have traversed large districts of Brazil ; while — 
not to mention earlier fluvial explorations — Mawe, Smyth, Edwards, 
Herndon, Gibbon, Wallace, Bates, Orton, and Hart have examined 
the Amazon ; and Lieutenant Page has the honor of being the 
first scientific investigator of the La Plata and some of its tribu- 
taries. Still, it is hazarding nothing to say that the greater por- 
tion of this extensive Empire has only been trodden by the foot 
of the wild Indian, or, at long intervals, by the most adventurous 
of the Portuguese traders. It is difficult for us to comprehend 
even the dry tables of distances ; how much more inconceivable 
the toil and the almost insurmountable obstacles to be endured 
and overcome in a vast country with a sparse population, and, 
in certain portions, no roads save the paths of cattle and the 
tracks of the tapir ! The distance, on a straight line drawn 
from the head-waters of the river Parima, on the north, to the 
southern shores of the Lagoa Mirim, in Rio Grande do Sul, is 
greater than that from Boston to Liverpool. It is farther from 
Pernambuco to the western boundary which separates Peru and 
Brazil, than by a direct route from London, across the Continent, 
to Egypt. Brazil has neither been explored nor surveyed, and its 
full extent cannot be accurately ascertained; but, according to the 
best calculations made in 1845 for the Diccionario G-eographico 

28 



434 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Brazileiro, the Empire contains within its borders 3,004,460 square 
miles. The United States, by the latest computations, excluding 
the territory of Alaska, has an area of 3,034,200 square miles. But 
by the settlement of different boundary-lines since 1856, Brazil 
has now, hj official statement, 3,287,964 square miles : so that we 
should have to add to the United States an area equal to that of the 
States of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, 
to make it of the same dimensions as the land of the Southern 
Cross. European Russia possesses an area of 2,142,504 square 
miles, and the remainder of Europe 1,687,626. It is by these figures 
and comparisons that we may arrive at an approximate idea of the 
vastness of Brazil. 

It is not, however, its extent which should attract our attention 
so much as the fact that no portion of the globe is so available for 
cultivation and for the sustentation of man. 

It has already been seen that the internal resources of this 
Empire are commensurate with its favored position and its wide 
extent. It is neither the gold of its mines nor the diamonds that 
sparkle in the beds of its inland rivers that constitute the greatest 
sources of its available wealth. Although nature has bestowed 
upon Brazil the most precious minerals, yet she has been still more 
prodigal in the gift of vegetable riches. Embracing nearly five 
degrees north of the equator, the whole latitude of the southern 
torrid and ten degrees of the southern temperate zone, and 
stretching its longitude from Cape St. Augustine, (the easternmost 
point of the continent,) across the mountains of its own interior, to 
the very foot of the Andes, its soil and its climate offer an asylum 
to almost every valuable plant. In addition to numberless varieties 
of indigenous growth, there is scarcely a production of either India 
which might not be naturalized in great perfection under or near 
the equator; while its interior uplands, and its soil in the Far 
South, welcome many of the fruits, the grains, and the hardier 
vegetables of Europe. 

Every year this Empire is becoming more developed ; yet it will 
require two centuries of its present progress to bring it to an equal 
position with the United States. The signs of the times are, how- 
ever, that Brazil will not go on at the snail' s-pace which charac- 
terized her up to the abolition of the slave-trade; and the internal 



The Fall of Itamarity. 435 

improvements auspiciously begun under D. Pedro II. will rapidly 
unfold the resources of the country. 

Of the twenty provinces, four only are inland; viz., Minas- 
Geraes, Goj r az, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas (sometimes called Alto 
Amazonas). It is in Mato Grosso ("dense forest") and Goyaz 
that the head-waters of the Amazon and the La Plata have their 
origin, within a few miles of each other; while on the borders of 
Minas-Geraes the sources of the San Francisco, the Tocantins, and 
the La Plata start from the same mountain- ridge. 

We now go by rail nearly to Barbacenna, but the old route to the 
fertile province of Minas Geraes is through Petropolis, and the 
traveller thither should not fail to make a little detour and visit one 
of the prettiest cascades in Brazil. Following for a few miles the 
highroad to the Minas, we turn to our right ; and there, among 
the dells formed by the Serra da Estrella, we find the Falls of 
Itamarity. The name, in the Guarani language, signifies "shining 
stones," or " the rock which shines ; " so called, doubtless, from the 
glittering appearance of the large mass of rock, the face of which 
is worn smooth by the water. Ita means " stone, or rock." This 
cascade is composed of three distinct falls, formed hy a stream 
of small size unless after heavy rains. The charm of this lovely 
spot consists in the surrounding woods and the murmuring waters ; 
so that we may truly sa} T that 

"the gush of springs 
And fall of lofty fountains, and the bend 
Of stirring branches, and the bud which brings 
The swiftest thought of beauty, here extend, 
Mingling, and made by Love unto one mighty end/'' 

Garlands of parasites enfold the old trees in their graceful arms, 
and bands of verdant climbers depend from the highest boughs to 
the very ground. The torrent has undermined the banks and 
prostrated the trees that stood near the edges, and they now lie in 
wild disorder across the bed of the stream, mingled here and there 
with huge stones brought down by the force of the water. 

The bridge represented in the engraving was improvised for the 
occasion of the visit by Sir W. Gore Ouseley, formerly British 
.Minister to Brazil. Such crossings are easily formed by felling a 



436 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



few trees and binding them together with the supple vines that 
abound. Nature soon heals her wounds and clothes them with 
parasites, so that in a few weeks the artificial structure seems like 
a work of her own hand. 

The road from Petropolis to Barbacena is exceedingly pic- 
turesque, — sometimes winding along the side of a mountain which 




gives extensive views of plains beyond, and sometimes in deep 
valleys along the banks of babbling streams. Long troops oi 
mules on their way to Estrella are constantly passing; but — to 
show the wildness of the region notwithstanding frequent vil- 
lages and fazendas — we were startled every few moments by 
flocks of wild parrots, and could hear in the trees the chattering 
of monkeys. Now a fine road for coaches leads to Barbacena. 

At a place called Padre Correas, not far from Petropolis, is a 
celebrated wild-fig tree, whose branches extend over a circum- 



Giant Fig-Tree and the Jacaranda. 437 

ference of four hundred and eighty feet, and four thousand persons, 
it is computed, can stand under its shade at noonday. Near by, 
on the height east of the hamlet, can also be seen two rows of the 
Brazilian pine, (Araucaria Braziliana,) so well known in the large 
conservatories of Europe and the United States. Very fine speci- 
mens of this Brazilian pine-tree are to be found in the Crystal 
Palace at Sydenham. When one hundred miles farther in the 
interior, I saw many jacaranda (rosewood) trees. Their resemblance 
to the common locust of the United States is very striking. There 
are a number of species of the jacaranda, varying in tint from a 
deep rich brown to a beautiful violet. The latter kind I have 
never seen north of the equator, save in small specimen-pieces; 
but, at the Fazenda do Governo, Dr. Joaquim A. P. Da Cunha, the 
amiable proprietor, showed me, in his establishment for making 
sugar, a beam, fifty feet long and three feet in diameter, of the 
violet-tinted jacaranda. It had performed the menial office of a 
connecting-beam for fifty years, and its exterior was dusty ; but, 
on chipping it, I found it to be of the most beautiful violet. The 
wood of Dr. Da Cunha' s pig-pen consisted of boards and sticks of 
rosewood : but let none of my readers imagine a highly-polished 
piano or a splendid centre-table; for exposure to the atmosphere 
renders the jacaranda as plebeian in appearance as the commonest 
weather-beaten pine. The rosewood-tree is cut down, deprived 
of its branches, and conveyed to market generally by floating it 
to some seaport-town, whence it is shipped to North America and 
Europe. It is of exceeding hardness and durability, — cog-wheels 
made of this wood lasting longer than those constructed from any 
other ligneous substance. The United States annually purchase 
of Brazil eighty thousand dollars' worth of rosewood. 

As I was journeying in the province of Minas, I observed a flock 
of birds of which I had seen the same species at the foot of the Organ 
Mountains, and which I then took to be the common blackbirds so 
well known in North America; but a closer inspection showed them 
to possess a bill of remarkable thickness. They had a clear and 
musical whistle, and I afterward discovered them to be the ani, — 
a genus of scansorial birds found only in Tropical America. They 
are sometimes called the keel-bill. They live in flocks, and it is 
said that they have practical communism among them, many pairs 




438 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

using the same nest, which is built on the branches of trees, and 
is of a large size. Here they lay and hatch in concert. 

I cannot enter into the details of my 
journey in Minas-Geraes, but I am reluctant 
to pass over a visit to one of the finest 
plantations in the province. The proprietor 
was a Brazilian, and the whole fazenda, 
in its minutest details, was carried on in the 
manner peculiar to the country, without 
any admixture of foreign modes of govern- 
ment and culture. 
Twelve miles beyond the Parahibuna (an 
the keel- bill. aflluent of the Parahiba) we turned aside 

from the highway, and, after riding through 
a belt of enclosed forest-land, we saw before us the large plantation- 
house of Soldade, belonging to Senhor Commendador Silva Pinto. 
The approach to the mansion was between two rows of palm-trees, 
around whose trunks a beautiful bignonia (the venusta) entwined 
itself, and then threw its climbing branches over the feathery leaves 
of the palms, thus forming a magnificent arch of flowers and 
foliage. The buildings, in the form of a hollow square, occupied 
an acre of ground. On two sides of the square was the residence 
of the Commendador and his family, while the remaining sides 
consisted of the sugar-establishment and the dwellings of the 
slaves. We entered the court-yard by a high gateway, and then 
for the first time we perceived the venerable planter sitting in a 
second-story veranda, reading. So soon as he saw us he laid down 
his book, descended into the square, and with great affability bade 
us a warm welcome. The American party doubtless owed this 
hospitable reception to one of our companions, Dr. Ildefonso Gomez, 
a Brazilian whom almost every man of science visiting the Empire 
has delighted to honor for his intelligence, for his eminent abilities 
as a naturalist, and for his integrity as a man. 

Servants flew about noiselessly at the commands of the Com- 
mendador : they gave us rooms, hot coflee, hot baths, &c. &c. 
Then both they and their master did that which is most grateful 
to the weary traveller : they let us alone. 

When I had performed my ablutions and was recovered from 



Peter Parley in Brazil. 439 

fatigue, E went to the veranda where the Commendador had been 
reading. I picked up his book, and to my astonishment I here 
found that it was A JSistoria Universale do Senhor Pedro Parley, 
(Peter Parley's Universal History !) Old Peter Parley in the inte- 
rior of Brazil ! I knew that England had availed herself of those 
books which have delighted Anglo-American childhood, and that 
hosts of counterfeiters and imitators had arisen, assuming that 
nom de plume; but it was beyond my most sanguine expectations 
to have ever seen in the Portuguese language, and in an interior 
province of distant Brazil, the history of' the Eastern and Western 
Continents by Senhor Pedro Parley amusing and instructing youth 
and old age. It was no imitation. • In reading the preface, I per- 
ceived that some priest had had to do with the translation, for it 
roundly asserted that Senhor Pedro Parley was urn bom Catholico 
Romano ! which was doubtless an important pie*ce of information to 
the countiymen of the Puritan-descended Peter. 

I looked from the veranda upon a scene of cultivation. Close at 
hand were one hundred and fifty hives with bees; gently-rounded 
hills were covered with grazing flocks and herds, cotton and sugar 
fields were in valleys, while Indian corn and mandioca in large 
tracts were far to our right. The orauge-orchard was the largest 
that I ever saw in any land : it was computed that there were ten 
thousand bushels of six different kinds of the luscious fruit. The 
sweet lemon abounded to such an extent that it was estimated 
that there were five thousand bushels. A "sweet lemon" seems 
almost as much of a contradiction in terms as an honest thief; but 
it is a reality. Dr. Ildefonso Gomes informed me that this fruit, 
exactly resembling the acid one bearing the same name, was 
originally a sour lemon, but, by a disease and by grafting, a new 
species has been produced. The taste is not so rich as that of an 
orange, but is very quenching to the thirst, and the Brazilians at 
Rio consume great quantities of them. Near S. Romao, a little 
place on the head-waters of the San Francisco, the lemon-tree has 
become naturalized, and the cattle that pasture in the woods are so 
fond of the fallen fruit that when killed their flesh smells strongly 
of it. 

Of all the articles mentioned above, not one finds its way to 
market. They are for the sustenance and clothing of the slaves. 



440 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of whom the Commendador formerly had seven hundred. These 
are engaged in cultivating coffee, (for this is the great coffee- 
region,) which is the only crop intended by the proprietor to bring 
back a pecuniary return. This senhor owns other plantations, but 
that of Soldade contains an area of sixty-four square miles. 

At dinner we were served in a large dining-room. The Com- 
mendador sat at the head of the table, while his guests and the 
various free members of his family sat upon forms, the feitors 
(overseers) and shepherds being at the lower end. He lives in 
true baronial style, and I was reminded of the description by Mr. 
J. G-. Kohl of castle-life among the noblemen of Courland and 
Livonia. A pleasant conversation was kept up during the long re- 
past, and at its close three servants came, — one bearing a massive 
silver bowl a foot and a half in diameter, another a pitcher of the 
same material containing warm water, while a third carried 
towels. The newly-arrived guests were thus served in lieu of 
finger-basins, which are rarely seen outside the capital. 

The Commendador had a chapel in his mansion, and each morn 
ing mass was performed by an amiable young Portuguese priest, 
who knew much more about music than the gospel. The padre 
had many questions to ask concerning the peculiar doctrines of 
Protestants, and I was surprised to find that he possessed no 
Bible. I presented him with a ISTew Testament, and before my de- 
parture we had many most earnest and serious conversations in 
regard to vital piety and the solemn responsibility that was upon 
him to teach the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. With the approval 
of the Commendador, (which was heartily given,) explanations of 
the Scriptures were hereafter to constitute a portion of the chapel- 
service on Sundays. This planter became the Baron of Berthioga. 

On these interior plantations there is a beautiful custom at ves- 
pers of offering a short prayer and wishing each other a good- 
night; not that they then retire, but boa noite is the form of a 
blessing. We were all sitting on the veranda as the last rays of 
the sun were gilding the hill and the distant forest. The chapel- 
bell struck the vesper-hour. The conversation was arrested : we 
all arose to our feet. The hum of the sugar-mill ceased; the shout 
of the children died away; the slaves that were crossing the court- 
yard stopped and uncovered the head. All devoutly folded their 



The Plantation-Orchestra. 441 

hands and breathed the evening prayer to the Virgin. I too joined 
in devotion to the blessed Saviour, the sole Mediator, and when 
the padre and others wished me the blessing in the name of Nossa 
Senhora, I returned the benediction em nome de Nosso Senhor Jesus 
Christo. The noise of merry voices again rang through the court- 
yard; the day's labor was finished; and soon night, with its dark- 
ness, silence, and repose, reigned over Soldade. 

Another custom I observed in various parts of Brazil, which, 
though a mere unmeaning form, is a custom both Christian and 
beautiful. I doubt, however, if one in a thousand attach any 
deeper significancy to it than we do to "good-morning.'' At the 
close of the day the slaves enter the room where their master is, 
and, with their hands crossed, each addresses the fazeudeiro in a 
pious salutation, the full form of which is, " I beseech your blessing 
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," and the reply should be, 
"Our Lord Jesus Christ bless you forever;" but in time this prayer 
and benediction are abbreviated to the last words of each sentence, 
which are pronounced in a most rapid and business-like manner by 
both parties: — Jesus Christo sempre, (forever.) 

In the course of our conversation the Commendador told us that 
he had his "own music now." He spoke of it very humbly. We 
desired to hear his musicians, supposing that we should hear a 
wheezy plantation-fiddle, a fife, and a drum. The Commendador 
said that we should be gratified in the evening. An hour after 
vespers I heard the twanging of violins, the tuning of flutes, short 
voluntaries on sundry bugles, the clattering of trombones, and all 
those musical symptoms preparatory to a beginning of some march, 
waltz, or polka. I went to the r.qom whence proceeded these 
sounds ; there I beheld fifteen slave musicians, — a regular band : 
one presided at an organ, and there was a choir of younger negroes 
arranged before suitable stands, upon which were sheets of printed 
or manuscript music. I also observed a respectable colored gentle- 
man (who sat near me at dinner) giving various directions. He 
was the maestro. Three raps of his violin-bow commanded silence, 
and then a wave of the same, d la Julien, and the orchestra com- 
menced the execution of an overture to some opera with admirable 
skill and precision. I was totally unprepared for this. But the 
next piece overwhelmed me with surprise : the choir, accompanied 



442 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

by the instruments, performed a Latin mass. They sang from their 
notes, and little darkies from twelve to sixteen years of age read 
off the words with as much fluency as students in the Freshman 
year. I could scarcely believe my eyes and ears, and in order to 
try the accomplishments of the company I asked the maestro for 
the Stabat Mater: he instantly replied, "Sim, Senhor," named to 
the musicians the page, waved his baton, and then the wailing and 
touching strains of Stabat Mater sounded through the corridors of 
Soldade. While at supper we were regaled by waltzes and stirring 
marches, — among the latter "Lafayette's Grand March," composed 
in the United States. The maestro regretted that they had it not 
in their power to play our three national airs; but I promised him 
that when an opportunity should afford I would take pleasure in 
adding to his musical library "Yankee Doodle," "Hail Columbia," 
and the "Star-spangled Banner." One morning at three o'clock I 
was awakened by a servant, who informed me that the orchestra 
was about to play the Brazileiro in honor of O Senhor Commenda- 
dor's guests; and in a few minutes the band, with the addition of 
big drum, little drum, and cymbals, startled the early birds by the 
national anthem of Brazil, which was succeeded by "Lafayette's 
Grand March." 

Before our departure from Soldade, the hospitable proprietor 
furnished us horses, and we sallied forth to roam over the immense 
plantation. A portion of our party carried their guns, hoping to 
meet with game in our ramble. We rode over hills used as pas- 
ture-ground, which were literally dotted with the upright and 
fallen columns that had been erected by the termites, or white ant. 
These curious edifices and their still more curious architects have 
always had a great attraction for the naturalist. The hillocks 
are conical in their shape, but not with a broad base and tapering 
point as those built by the termites of Africa. Exposure to the 
sun has rendered them exceedingly hard, and doubtless many 
that are seen upon the uplands of S. Paulo and Minas-Geraes are 
more than a century old; for houses whose walls have been built 
from the same earth are still in existence which were built by early 
settlers in the seventeenth century. Sometimes the termites' 
dwelling is overturned by the slaves, the hollow scooped wider, and 
is the u used as a bake-oven to parch Indian corn. In my ride over 



Literary White Ants. 443 

Soldade I saw a number of very large vultures, who, duiing the 
rain, had taken refuge in the houses that had been vacated by the 
white ant. 

These insects do not, however, always dwell in columnar edifices 
of three and six feet in height. I have seen, in some portions of 
Brazil, the ground ploughed up, to the extent of one hundred 
feet in circumference, by one nest of white ants. Again, they will 
climb trees, carrying building materials with them, and erecting 
a small archway (resembling 
what carpenters call an "inch- 
bead") over them for protection 
against their sworn enemy, the 
black or brown ant, and on the 
loftiest branches they will con- 
struct their nest. In cities they 
are sometimes very destructive : 
hence every Brazilian lady keeps 
her fine robes in tin boxes, and 
each gentleman who pretends to 
a library must often look at it 
to see if the cupim, or white ant, has not become a most penetrating 
reader of his volumes. My introduction to the cupim was in the 
house of our former Consul, ex-Governor Kent. A box of books 
sent out by the American Tract Society was placed in a lower 
room, and the next morning it was announced to me that the 
cupim had entered my property. I hastened to the room, and, 
turning over the box, beheld a little black hole at the bottom, and 
white, gelatinous-looking ants pouring out as though very much 
disturbed in their occupation. I opened the box, and found that 
a colony of cupim had eaten through the pine wood, and then 
had pierced through "Baxter's Call," "Doddridge's Rise and 
Progress," until they had reached the place where Bunyan's 
Pilgrim lay, when they were rudely deranged in their literary 
pursuits. 

On another occasion I saw a Brussels carpet, under which cupim 
had insinuated themselves and had eaten out nearly all the canvas 
before the proprietor made the sad discovery. 

Dr. Kidder, at Campinas, witnessed the depredations of the white 




444 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ants in the taipa (clay-built) houses. They insinuate themselves 
into the mud walls, and destroy the entire side of a house by per- 
forations. Anon they commence working in the soil, and extend 
their operations beneath the foundations of houses and under- 
mine them. The people dig large pits in various places, with the 
intent of exterminating tribes of ants which have been discovered 
on their march of destruction. 

Mr. South ey states, on the authority of Manoel Felix, that some 
of these insects, at one time, devoured the cloths of the altar in 
the Convent of S. Antonio, at Maranham, and also brought up into 
the church pieces of shrouds from the graves beneath its floor; 
whereupon the friars prosecuted them according to due form of 
ecclesiastical law. What the sentence was in this case, we are 
unable to learn. The historian informs us, however, that, having 
been convicted in a similar suit at the Franciscan Convent at 
Avignon, the ants were not only excommunicated from the Eoman 
Catholic Apostolic Church, but were sentenced by the friars "to 
the pain of removal, within three days, to a place assigned them 

in the centre of the 
earth." The canon- 
ical account grave- 
ly adds that the ants 
obeyed, and carried 
away all their 
young and all their 
stores ! 

The white and 
other ants have, 
however, enemies 
far more tangible 
than bulls of ex- 
communication, in 
the Myrmecophaga, 
or the great ant- 
eater, the Taman- 
dua, and the "little 
ant-eater," of which the last two have a prehensile tail. The great 
ant-eater is a most curious animal, but well adapted to the purposes 







GREAT ANT-EATER. 



*^jj 







\^ 



The Great Ant-Eater. 445 

for which it was designed by the Creator. Its short legs and long 
claws (the latter doubled up when in motion) do not hinder it from 
running at a good pace; and when the Indians wish to catch it 
they make a pattering noise upon the leaves as if the rain were 
falling, upon which the myrmecophaga cocks his huge bushy tail 
over his body, and, standing perfectly still, soon falls a prey. In 
the northern part of Minas-Geraes a naturalist once came sud- 
denly upon the great ant-eater, and, knowing the harmless nature 
of its mouth, seized it by the long snout, by which he tried to 
hold it, when it immediately rose upon its hind-legs, and, clasping 
him around the middle with its powerful fore-paws, completely 
brought him to a stand. It was struck down with a club a 
number of times, but soon recovered and ran off; and not until 
a pistol-ball was lodged in its breast was the naturalist able to add 
it to his collection. It measured six feet in length without the 
tail, which, together with the long tufts of hair, measured full four 
feet more. 

When the great ant-bear sleeps, it lies on one side, rolls itself 
up so that its snout rests on its breast, places all its feet together, 
and covers itself with its bushy tail. When thus curled up, it is 
so exactly like a bundle of hay that any one might pass it care- 
lessly, imagining it to be a loose heap of that substance. • 

When it walks or runs, the claws of the fore-feet are doubled 
up, causing one side only of the foot to rest upon the ground. The 
proper use of these powerful claws is to obtain the white ant. 
When the ant-bear wishes a meal, he attacks one of the hard 
hillocks already described, and with his huge fore-paws furiously 
tears out a portion of the walls, and, thrusting in his long, slender 
tongue, which is covered with a viscid saliva, and to which myriads 
of ants adhere, he opens his little mouth and draws it in: then, 
shutting his lips, he pushes out his tongue a second time, retain- 
ing the ants in his mouth until the tongue has been completely 
exserted, when he swallows them. Wallace says that the Indians 
of the Upper Amazon positively assert, that the great ant-eater 
sometimes kills the jaguar by tightly embracing the latter and 
thrusting its enormous claws into the jaguar's sides. The 
aborigines also " declare that these animals are all females, and 
believe that the male is the 'curupira,' or demon of the forest. 



446 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The peculiar organization of the animal has probably led to this 
error." 

As we descended the hills of Soldade on our return to the planta- 
tion-house, one of our party fired at two paeas which were feeding 
near a little stream. Either the aim of the hunter was not good, 
or the buckshot did not tell upon the hairy side of the animal, and 
in a few moments he had swum the river and was hidden in the 
thick copse of bushes and ferns. The paca, the capybara, and 
agouti abound in Brazil, and are of the same family as marmots 




and beavers. The paca attracts the attention of the hunter both 
on account of the difficulty of its capture (as it takes the water 
and swims and dives admirably) and the esculent nature of 
its flesh. It is about eighteen inches in height and two feet in 
length, and its color is brown, spotted with white. The hinder 
limbs (being considerably bent) are longer than the anterior 
ones, and its claws are well formed for digging and burrowing. 
They are easily domesticated, and make lively pets, eating readily 
out of the hand of those it is accustomed to, but hiding from 
strangers. A friend bound to the United States had one on ship- 
board, which was a great favorite, and bade lair to weather the 
voyage and visit the shores of North America ; but either the 



The Musical Cart. 



447 



new paint, or some salt water that he drank in a storm, cut short 
the thread of his existence, and poor paca was consigned to the 
blue waves of the Atlantic. 

After leaving our kind host, we journeyed toward Barbacena, over 
roads that can be used for vehicles; but the only movable article 
of that kind which we saw was the Eoman cart, unimproved since 
the days of the Georgics. Indeed, all Eoman carriages were of the 
same simple plan. The wheels did not turn on their axis, but axis 
and wheels turned together. We could often hear music of a most 
fortissime character, which they ground out as they moved slowly 
over the plantations. I was informed that the Brazilians construct 
these carts of a particular wood, having special reference to the 
musical qualities, which, when put into action under a heavy 
load and behind three yoke of cattle, resemble the concentrated 
powwow of a thousand belligerent tomcats. On the day of some 




z MSm 



THE MUSICAL CART. 



festa, I was travelling near the banks of the Parahiba, and miles 
away I heard the grinding of a cart. The distance had somewhat 
mellowed its music, and, after a long ride, I came up with it, and 
found a gay party of country Brazilians in their holiday attire 
riding upon the old Eoman chariot, which was adorned with bed- 
covers of a bright pattern. The unbonneted senhoras seemed as 
much at home in their turn-out, and doubtless as proud of it, as the 



448 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

most dashing iady of the Fifth Avenue in her cushioned coach 
which sways softly upon the most modern elastic springs. 

The province of Minas-Geraes is the most important of all the 
inland divisions of the Empire, owing to its mineral and vegetal 
riches, its immense herds, its accessibility to market, and its 
population. It contains eight hundred thousand inhabitants, and 
yet is so extensive that there are within its area of one hundred 
and fifty thousand square miles many forests, — a perfect wilder- 
ness, overrun with Indian tribes, and where the jaguar roams in 
undisturbed independence. 

Other portions are among the most improved and eligible parts 
of the Empire. One writer has remarked, with great emphasis, 
that, if there be one spot in the world which might be made to sur- 
pass all others, Minas is that favored spot. Its climate is mild and 
healthful ; its surface is elevated and undulating; its soil is fertile, 
and capable of yielding the most valuable productions; its forests 
abound in choice timber, balsams, drugs, and dye-woods. 

But all these circumstances together have not given the pro- 
vince so much celebrity as the single fact of its inexhaustible 
mineral wealth. Its name signifies the general or universal mines, 
and, accordingly, mines of gold, silver, copper, and iron are found 
within its borders, besides quantities of precious stones. Several 
of the most valuable gold-mines not far from Ouro Preto have been 
wrought by an English mining company for the last forty years. 
This enterprise has been unquestionably a source of profit to its 
stockholders, and has rendered great service to the country gener- 
ally, by introducing the most approved method of mining. A new 
gold mine has been discovered by an American geologist, Mr. James 
E. Mill, at Sao Cyriaco, on the head-waters of the Rio Doce. An 
American company is now working it. 

The agricultural capacities of the province are very great. It 
yields coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton. It indeed produces some 
coarse manufactures of cotton. Its soil yields Indian corn in great 
profusion, and may be made to grow wheat. Upon its campinas, 
or upland prairies, innumerable herds of cattle, and some flocks of 
sheep, are pastured. The milk of the cows is converted into a 
species of soft cheese, known as the queijo de Minas. Immense 
quantities of them may be seen at Rio de Janeiro, and from that 



The History of Coffee. 449 

port they are scattered along the coast, being very much esteemed 
as an article of food. 

The great staple, however, of Minas-Geraes, and of the whole 
Empire of Brazil, is coffee. What a history might be written of 
the voyages, the naturalization, and the uses of this member of the 
Rubiacece family ! The coffee-tree is not, as is generally supposed, 
a native of Arabia, but its home is Abyssinia, and particularly 
that district called Kaffa, whence the name of the beverage-berry. 
To this day the coffee-plant is found growing as far as the sources 
of the White Nile. It was not taken to Arabia until the fifteenth 
century, when, being cultivated extensively, with great success as 
to quantity and quality, in the province or Kingdom of Yemen, and 
embarked from Mocha, the coffee of that portion of the world ob- 
tained a celebrity which it has never lost. When it was introduced 
by the Orientals into Europe we know not; but as early as 1538 
we find edicts against it, issued by the Mohammedan priests, on 
the ground that the faithful went more to the coffee-shops than to 
the mosque. The earliest notice that we have of it in France is 
in 1643, when a certain adventurer from the Levant established in 
Paris a coffee-house, which did not succeed. In a few years, how- 
ever, it became the mode among the aristocracy, through its 
inauguration by Soliman Aga, the Ambassador of the Sublime 
Porte at the Court of Louis XIV. Several of the high personages 
of the time resisted its introduction, — among them the celebrated 
Madame de Sevigne, who had declared that the popularity of coffee 
would be merely ephemeral; and, in the intensity of her admira- 
tion for Corneille, she predicted that Le Racine passer ait comme le 
cafe, (Eacine will be forgotten as soon as coffee,) both of which 
predictions have proved rather detrimental to the prophetic reputa- 
tion of the renowned lady letter-writer. Before the middle of the 
seventeenth century it was in vogue in the principal capitals of 
Europe. An English merchant from Constantinople was the first 
to introduce it to the Londoners, and his wife, being a young and 
pretty Greek, was a most attractive saleswoman. It is said that 
the coffee-houses were greatly multiplied during the Protectorate, 
and that Cromwell, wishing to protect the interest of the taverns, 
and doubtless urged on by the publicans, caused them to be closed. 

Previous to tne eighteenth century, all the coffee consumed in 

29 



J 



450 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Europe was brought from Arabia Felix via the Levant, and the 
Pachas of Egypt and Syria took good care to increase their coffers 
by exorbitant transit duties. This exaction was broken up by the 
vessels of Holland, (first,) England, and France sailing around the 
Cape of Good Hope to Mocha. In 1699, Yan Horn, first President 
of the Dutch East Indies, obtained coffee-plants and had them 
cultivated in Batavia, where they wonderfully prospered, and the 
berries of Java obtained a reputation second only to those of Mocha. 
One of the Batavian shrubs was transplanted to the Botanical 
Gardens of Amsterdam in 1710, and by great care succeeded so well 
that a shoot was sent to Louis X1Y. and placed in the Jardin des 
Plantes. From this last plant, slips were confided to M. Isambert 
to be taken to Martinique; but M. Isambert died before the arrival 
of the ship, and consequently the coffee-plants perished. In 1720, 
Antoine de Jussieu, of the Royal Botanical Gardens, sent, by Cap- 
tain Declieux, three more coffee-shrubs, also destined to Martinique. 
The voyage was long, the vessel was short of water : two of the 
plants died, but Captain Declieux shared his ration of water with 
the cafter, and thus succeeded in introducing it into the West 
Indies : that plant was the ancestor, it is said, of all the coffee- 
plantations in America. 

The honor of planting the first coffee-tree in Brazil belongs to 
the Franciscan Friar Yillaso, who in 1754 placed one in the 
garden of the San Antonio Convent at Rio de Janeiro. It was not, 
however, until after the Haytien insurrection that coffee became an 
object of great cultivation and commerce in Brazil. In 1809, the 
first cargo was sent to the United States, and all the coffee raised 
in the Empire in that year scarcely amounted to 30,000 sacks, 
while in the Brazilian financial year of 1855 there were exj>orted 
3,256,089 sacks, which brought into the country nearly $25,000,000. 
The United States, during the financial year ending June 30, 1856, 
imported, from all coffee-producing countries, 235,241,362 pounds of 
the beverage-berry, 180,243,070 pounds (i.e. nearly three-fourths 
of the whole) of which came from Brazil. The next highest 
country on the list is Yenezuela, which sent us 16,546,166 pounds; 
and thirdly, Hayti, from which we imported about 13,500,000 
pounds. The whole sum paid by the United States for coffee was 
$21,514,196, of which Brazil received no less tharf $16,091,714. 



Coffee-Culture. 451 

The great coffee-region, as has been mentioned, is on the banks 
of the Eio Parahiba, and in the province of San Paulo; but every 
year it is more widely cultivated, and a considerable quantity is 
now grown in provinces farther northward. It can be planted by 
burying the seeds or berries, (which are double,) or by slips. The 
trees are placed six or eight feet apart, and tho&e plants which 
have been taken from the nursery with balls of mould around their 
roots will bear fruit in two years; those detached from the earth 
will not produce until the third year, and the majority of such 
shrubs die. In the province of S. Paulo, and the richest portions 
of Minas-Geraes, one thousand trees will yield from 2560. to 3200 
pounds, in Eio de Janeiro from 1600 to 2560. In some parts of S. 
Paulo, one thousand trees have yielded 6400 pounds; but this is 
extraordinary. In the province of Kio de Janeiro, trees are gene- 
rally cut down every fifteen years. There are some cafiers on the 
plantation of Senator Vergueiro which are twenty-four years old, 
and are still bringing forth fruit. As a general rule, they are not 
allowed to exceed twelve feet in height, so as to be in reach. When 
the berry is ripe, it is about the size and color of a cherry, and 
resembles it, or a large cranberry: of these berries a negro can 
daily collect about thirty -two pounds. There are three gatherings 
in the year, and the berries are spread out upon pavements or a 
level portion of ground, (the terreno,) from whence they are taken 
when dry and denuded of the hull by machinery, and afterward con- 
veyed to market. Nothing is more beautiful than a coffee-planta- 
tion in full and virgin bloom. The snowy blossoms all burst forth 
simultaneously, and the extended fields seem almost in a night 
to lay aside their robe of verdure, and to replace it by the most 
delicate mantle of white, which exhales a fragrance not unworthy 
of Eden. But the beauty is truly ephemeral, for the snow-whito 
flowers and the delightful odor pass away in twenty-four hours. 

It was formerly b}^ toilsome journeys on mule-back that the coffee- 
sacks from Minas-Geraes generally reached a market, and nothing 
so much hindered the general prosperity of this province as its lack 
of good roads and some feasible thoroughfare to a market. The 
province has, of late j^ears, expended large sums upon the construc- 
tion of roads ; and the extension of the Pedro II. railway has greatly 
facilitated transportation in the coffee region. The journey from 



452 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Ouro Preto, the capital, to Rio de Janeiro, — a distance of about two 
hundred miles, — was, in years gone by, performed on the backs of 
mules and horses only, and required fifteen days. 

As to education, it is but just to say that Minas-Geraes, according 
to official statistics, has taken a most wortlry position in this praise- 
worthy enterprise. The provincial Government has made large 
expenditures for the support of schools, and the people seem to have 
appreciated the benefit to be derived from them. 

Should the long-talked of enterprise of steam navigation upon the 
Rio Doce and the Riode S. Francisco ever prove successful, the inter- 
ests of Minas-Geraes would be greatly promoted. A most thorough 
survey of the Rio de S. Francisco was made by Mr. Halfeld. 

As to the navigation of the Rio San Francisco, — a river as large 
as the Volga, — a glance at the map will show its importance to Minas 
and all other provinces watered b}^ it and its tributaries. The San 
Francisco is the largest river emptying into the Atlantic between the 
Amazon and the Rio de la Plata. It rises in the province of Minas, 
and waters the soil of Bahia, Pernambuco, Sergipe, and Alagoas, in 
its course to the ocean. From the mouth of the Rio das Velhas to 
the Falls of Paulo ArTonso, not marry leagues east of Joazeira, a dis- 
tance of seven hundred miles, its waters are suitable for navigation, 
although, from the sparseness of population on its banks, and the 
lack of enterprise, it is but little used for this purpose. The Falls of 
Paulo Alfonso are a succession of rapids, having a descent of 265 
feet. The principal cataract is represented in the engraving, and is 
a spectacle of the utmost grandeur. The vapors arising from the 
ravine may be seen at a great distance. They resemble the smoke of 
a conflagration in the midst of the forest. The river does not again 
find a tranquil bed until near its embouchure, but for the space of 
seventy-five miles dashes with fury over a succession of rapids 
and smaller cataracts, which effectually interrupt the passage of 
vessels and forbid the hope of any artificial connection between the 
upper and lower navigation. The Emperor visited these falls in 1859, 
and Capt. Burton in 1867. To the latter we owe the sketch of the 
cataract. 

But these difficulties are overcome in another manner ; a railway 
from Pernambuco to Joazeira has already been projected, and is actually 
built from the city of Pernambuco to Agoa Preta, on the river Una, 




THE FALLS OF PAULO AFFONSO: THE NIAGARA OF BRAZIL. 



Railroad to the S. Francisco. 



453 



a distance of seventy-four miles. From Bahia also another road has 
been projected northward to Joazeira. Now, from the latter point 
to the mouth of the Rio das Velhas there is an uninterrupted steam- 
boat navigation for seven hundred miles. It is therefore from the 
Barra das Velhas that a railway will most probably be made to Rio 
de Janeiro, about four hundred and thirty miles in a straight line, — 
the whole comprising, by rail and b} r river, as Mr. Borthwick in his 
excellent report sa} T s, " a grand internal communication between the 
capital and the most thriving provinces ; " and such is its necessity 
that it is onry a question of time. When such a system of internal 
improvements is completed, no province will be more benefited than 
Minas-Geraes. The recent investigations of Mr. Halfeld have been 
published by the government ; but new surveys have been ordered by 
the government, to be made under the direction of W. Milner Roberts, 
one of the most competent engineers America has ever produced. 





INHABITANTS OF THE FORESTS OF G0YA2. 

Upon the west and north of Minas-Geraes is the large province of 
Goyaz, discovered at an early day by the Paulistas, in their search 
for mines and Indian slaves. It abounds in gold, diamonds, and 
precious stones ; but its remoteness from the sea-shore, and its lack 
of roads, canals, and steamboats upon its navigable rivers are great 
obstacles to the development of its resources. 

This province, bounded on the west by the Araguaia, may be 
considered as occupying the central portion of Brazil, and is not 
generally mountainous, although its surface is elevated and un- 
equal. Some tall virgin forests are seen upon the banks of its 
rivers, in which most comical monkeys abound ; but the larger 



454 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

part of the province is covered with that species of low and 
stunted shrubbery which prevails in large portions of the province 
of Minas, and is designated by the terms catingas and carasqueiros. 
Its soil yields the usual productions of Brazil, together with many 
of the fruits of Southern Europe. Cultivation has progressed 
further in Goyaz than in Mato Grosso, though it is still extremely 
backward. 

The name of this province is derived from the G-oyas, a tribe of 
Indians formerly inhabiting its territory, but now nearly extinct. 
Various other tribes still exist within its borders, several of which 
cherish a deadly hatred to the people who have invaded their 
domains and disturbed them in their native haunts. Settlements 
are often laid waste by the hostile incursions of these Indians. 

In Goyaz, as well as in other portions of the interior, the tra- 
veller will find plenty of honey made by stingless bees. I do not 
know that it holds true in Brazil, as in North America, that the 
bee precedes by a few miles the onward march of civilization, — 
advances as the Indian and the wild beast prepare to take their 
departure, — and thus is the pioneer of a better state of things; but 
it gives of its sweets to sustain and cheer the settler and the 
voyageur in those vast and fertile solitudes. I suppose that the 
bees of Brazil are indigenous, and not like the honey-bee of the 
United States, which was unknown before the arrival of Europeans, 
and to which the Indians — having no term for it in their language 
— gave the name of " English flies." The greater portion of the 
Brazilian bees possess, in their absence of weapons, a peculiarity 
which many a stung sufferer would wish the Apis mellifica of North 
America possessed. Some of these bees make sour honey, which 
will compensate for sweet lemons.* 



* Dr. Gardner, in his visit to Goyaz, was entertained at a little place not far from 
Natividade, near the mountains which form the southwestern boundary of Piauhi. 
"The owner of the house," he says, "returned from the woods, shortly after our 
arrival, with a considerable quantity of wild honey, some of which he kindly gave 
us, and we found it excellent : it was the product of one of the smaller bees so 
numerous in this part of Brazil. This was the season in which the people go to 
the woods in search of honey. It is so generally used, that, after leaving Duro, 
[where Goyaz, Piauhi, and Pernambuco are contiguous,] a portion was presented 
to us at almost every house where we stopped. These bees jnostly belong to the 
genus Melipona, Illio., and I collected a great many, which, with some other zoo- 



Goyaz — Stingless Bees. 455 

In some portions of Goyaz society is very backward, but not 
altogether in the state which existed at the time (1817) of St. 
Hilaire's visit. There is a powerful class of the inhabitants called 
vaqueiros, or cattle-proprietors. These men possess vast herds of 
horned cattle, and their principal business is to mark, tend, and 
fold them. They understand the use of the lasso, and also of the 
long knife. However, their moral and intellectual condition is by 
no means perfect, 



logical specimens, were afterward lost in crossing a river. A list of them, with 
their native names and a few observations, may not be uninteresting: — 

"1. Jatahy. — This is a very minute yellowish-colored species, being scarcely two lines long. The 
honey, which is excellent, very much resembles that of the common hive-bee of Europe. 

"2. Mulher bronco. — About the same size as No.l, but of a whitish color: the honey is likewise good, 
but a little acid. 

"3. Tubi. — A little black bee, smaller than a common honse-fly: the honey is good, but has a pecu- 
liar bitter flavor. 

"4. Manoel oVAbreu. — About the size of the tubi, but of a yellowish color: its honey is good. 

" 5. Atakira. — Black, and nearly the same size as the tubi, — the principal distinction between them 
consisting in the kind of entrance to their hives : the tubi makes it of wax, the atakira of clay. Its 
honey is very good. 

"6. Oariti. — Of a blackish color, and about the same size as the tubi: its honey is rather sour, and 
not good. 

"7. Tataira. — About the size of the tubi, but with a yellow body and a black head: its honey is 
excellent. 

"8. Mumb&co. — Black, and larger than the tubi: the honey, after being kept about an hour, becomes 
as sour as lemon-juice. 

"9. Bejui. — Very like the tubi, but smaller: its honey is excellent. 

"10. Tiubd. — Of the size of a large house-fly, and of a grayish-black color: its honey is excellent. 

"11. Bord. — About the size of a house-fly, and of a yellowish color: its honey is acid. 

"12. Urussu. — About the size of a large humble-bee: the head is black and the body yellowish. It 
produces good honey. 

"13. Urussti, preto. — Entirely black, and upward of an inch in length: it likewise produces good 
honey. 

" 14. Canidra. — Black, and about the same size as No. 13 : its honey is too bitter to be eatable. It is 
said to be a great thief of the honey of other bees. 

"15. Chupe. — About the size of No. 10, of a black color. It makes its hive of clay on branches of 
trees, and is often of a very large size. Its honey is good. 

"16. Urapua. — Very like No. 15, but always builds its hive rounder, flatter, and smaller. 

"17. Enchti. — This is a kind of wasp about the size of a house-fly : its head is black and the body 
yellow. It builds its hive in the branches of trees: this is of a papery tissue about three feet in circum- 
ference. Its honey is good. 

"18. Enchu pequeno. — Very similar to the last, but always makes a smaller hive: it also produces 
good honey. 

"The first eleven of these honey-bees construct their cells in the hollow trunks of trees, and the 
others either in similar situations or beneath the ground. It is only the last three kinds that sting, all 
the others being harmless. The only attempt I ever saw to domesticate these bees was by a Ccrnish 
miner in the Gold District, who cut off those portions of the trunks of the trees which contained the 
nest, and fastened them up under the eaves of his house. They seemed to thrive very well ; but when- 
ever the honey was wanted, it was necessary to destroy the bees. Both the Indians and the other 
inhabitants of the country are very expert in tracing these insects to the trees in which they hive. 
They generally mix the honey — which is very fluid — with farinha before they eat it, and of the wax 
they make a coarse kind of taper about a yard long, which serves in lieu of candles, and which the 
country-people biing to the villages for sale. We found this very convenient, and always carried a suffi- 
cient stock with us: not unfrequently we were obliged to manufacture them ourselves from the wax 
obtained by my own men." 1865, M. Brunet, of Bahia, has found forty kinds of bees. 



456 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

But, in the general improvement which is gradually pervading 
all Brazil, this province receives its share; and, when the railways 
are completed to Joazeira, Goyaz will be easily brought within 
a few hours of the great marts on the Atlantic seaboard. The 
various affluents of the Tocantins and of the Parahiba do Sul 
water this province, and afford it a certain species of communica- 
tion with the adjacent provinces; and yet in the middle and 
southern provinces I have met with travellers and mule-troops 
taking the long and fatiguing land-route to Bio de Janeiro and 
Santos. From Goyaz, the capital of the province, to Para, the 
distance is more than one thousand miles, and this journey has 
been performed the whole way by water, with the exception of a 
few leagues. This long river-route was accomplished as early as 
1773, under the governorship of Jose d' Almeida de Vasconcellos 
Sobral e Carvalho, and we of the North are filled with wonder 
that this navigation does not become permanent and reliable. As 
Brazilian steamers have been running regularly upon the Amazon 
since 1853, we may hope in time to see the waters of the Tocantins 
and its tributaries furrowed by suitable vapores. The President of 
thisprovince, Sr. Magalhaes, descended the Araguaya to Para inl863. 

Mato Grosso is an immense province, containing a greater area 
than the original thirteen States of the Union. It is west of 
Goyaz, and borders upon Bolivia, the Argentine Confederation, 
and Paraguay. 

Mato Grosso may be reached from Para by ascending either the 
Tocantins, the Xingu, the Tapajos, or the Madeira Bivers. A 
glance at the map would lead one to suppose that the passage of 
the Madeira was not only the longest, but also that which would 
be in every way the most difficult. It is, however, better known 
than either of the others, and is the only one which has, to any 
extent, been a commercial thoroughfare. 

The distance in a right line from Para to Villa Bella, or Mato 
Grosso, (one of the principal towns of the province,) is about one 
thousand miles. Not less than two thousand five hundred miles 
must be traversed in making the passage by water. Lieutenant 
Gibbon, U.S.N. , has given a very interesting account of his 
descent (in 1852) of the Mamore Biver, from the fort Principe de 
Beira to the Madeira, and thence to Para; but the best detailed 



Lieutenant Page's Survey of the La Plata. 457 

sketch of this long route and its numerous difficulties is found in the 
various articles contributed to the European and American press by 
the American, George Earl Church. Colonel Church is identified with 
the effort mentioned on page 460 to overcome these natural obstacles. 

For the distance of fifteen hundred miles up the Amazon and 
the Madeira, to the Falls of St. Antonio, there is nothing in the 
way but a powerful current. Much of the country through which 
the last-named river flows is very unhealthy. From the Falls of 
St. Antonio a succession of falls and rapids extend upw T ard more 
than two hundred miles. Nearly all this distance it is necessary to 
transport canoes and cargoes overland, by the most tedious and 
difficult processes imaginable. Precipices must be climbed, roads 
cut, and huts built from time to time as a temporary shelter 
against the rains. In short, three or four months are necessarily 
consumed on this part of the route. Once above this chain of 
obstacles, there remain about seven hundred miles of good naviga- 
tion on the Mamore and Guapore Rivers. Previous to steam-navi- 
gation on the Amazon the entire voyage occupied ten months, 
when made by traders carrying goods. Yast numbers of Indians 
and negroes are required as oarsmen and bearers of burdens. It 
is customary for several companies to associate together, and the 
supplies which must necessarily be provided beforehand occasion 
great expense and inconvenience. The downward voyage, as a 
matter of course, would be much more easily and quickly per- 
formed. Notwithstanding the tedium and the toil of this long 
and dreary passage, it is generally less dreaded than the overland 
route to Eio de Janeiro. On the latter, an interminable succession 
of mountains, the lack of any direct or suitable roads, the impos- 
sibility of procuring provisions by the way, — at least for great 
distances, — and the slow pace of loaded mules, are by no means 
trifling difficulties in the way of either despatch or pleasure. 

But by the enterprise and ability of the late Lt. Thomas J. Page, 
U. S. N"., a new route by water to the capital of the Empire has 
been opened to Brazil and the world. This gentleman, acting 
under orders of the United States Government, sailed from Nor- 
folk in 1853, in the TJ. S. steamer " Water-Witch," four hundred 
tons' burden and nine feet draft. The object of this expedition 
was the survey of the river La Plata and its tributaries, for the 



458 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

advancement of commerce and the promotion of science. Although 
some obstacles presented themselves at Eio de Janeiro, the Impe- 
rial Government finally granted its consent, and the Water-Witch 
went on its mission of peace; and no one can read Lieutenant 
Page's report to the late Secretary of the Navy (Mr. Dobbin) 
without the deepest interest, and the conviction that the surveys 
and discoveries of the Commander and those under him are of the 
greatest importance to North America and Europe, as well as to 
Brazil and the South American States. 

The investigations of Lieutenant Page on the Parana, Paraguay, 
and also a number of their tributaries, show conclusively that these 
rivers can become the richest channels of commerce. Of the Para- 
guay he says : — 

" This river differs from the Parana in several particulars. Its 
period of rising is generally the reverse; it contains but few 
islands, is confined between narrow limits, is more easy of navi- 
gation, because less obstructed by shoals, and the course of its 
channel is less variable ; its width from one-eighth to three-fourths 
of a mile, its velocity two miles per hour, and its rise is from 
twelve to fifteen feet. In October it attains its maximum and in 
February its minimum state. From its mouth to Assuncion, a dis- 
tance of two hundred and fifty miles, there were found no less than 
twenty feet of water when the river had fallen about two feet. 
This depth of water remained unchanged for the distance of 
several hundred miles above Assuncion, and the Water- Witch had 
ascended the Paraguay seven hundred miles above this place be- 
fore she found less than twelve feet. At this time the river had 
fallen several feet. 

"The admirable adaptation of these rivers to steam-navigation 
cannot but forcibly strike the most casual observer. 

"There are no obstructions from fallen trees, neither shoals nor 
rocks, to endanger navigation. At suitable points — in fact, at 
every point in Paraguay particularly — an abundance of the best 
wood may be procured immediately on the banks; and, when 
populated, no difficulty will be found in obtaining a supply of it 
prepared for immediate use. By experiment carefully made, 
one cord of the Paraguay wood was ascertained to be equal, in 
the production of steam, to a ton of the best anthracite coal. 



Dr. Kane and Lieutenant Strain. 459 

•'The left bank of the river, up to the distance of four hundred 
and fifty miles from Assuncion, is populated, but more and more 
sparsely as the northern frontier is approached. Between the most 
northern Paraguayan and the most southern Brazilian settlements — 
a distance of two hundred and fifty miles — there is no habitation of 
civilized man. Various tribes of Indians were met with at dif- 
ferent points, with some of whom we 'held a talk/ and parted on 
such friendly terms, because of the numerous presents we made 
them in trinkets and tobacco, that they became somewhat trouble- 
some, following us along the banks on horseback, desirous that we 
should repeat the visit on shore." 

This was the first steamer that ever ploughed the upper waters of 
the Paraguay. The arrival of the Water- Witch at Coimbra (Brazil) 
was hailed with the liveliest demonstrations of joy, and Lieutenant 
Page was received by the authorities with the most marked attention. 
His command, owing to the proper permission from the Imperial 
Government arriving too late, did not proceed higher than Corumba. 
Lieutenant Page was, however, of the opinion that Cuiaba, in Mato 
Grosso, may be reached b}^ small steamers. This opinion proved 
practical ; for Brazil established a regular steamship line from Monte- 
video to Cuiaba in 1856, which has an anuual subsidy of $100,000. 

It is interesting to reflect that while the American navy has 
been to a great extent, for nearly fifty years, exempt from foreign 
wars, her gallant officers have won imperishable laurels in the 
nobler pursuits of scientific investigation. The names of Bache, 
Lieut. Strain, Kane, Gillis, Page, and the scores who have been 
employed on coast-surveys, have done more to benefit their country 
and mankind than all the naval battles of the nineteenth century. 
Since these pages were commenced, three whose names are men- 
tioned above have slept the " last sleep." When scientific attain- 
ments, self-sacrifice, and suffering shall be connected together, tho 
hero of the Arctic regions and the hero of the Isthmus of Darien 
will not be forgotten by the thousands who shall come after us. 
To both may be applied the language of Dr. George Eipley, of New 
York, in regard to Kane: — "The admirable qualities which they 
displayed in the discharge of their official duties are a sure pledge 
of permanent fame. Courage, wisdom, fertility of resource, power 
of endurance, and devotion to an idea, are stamped upon their 



460 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

intrepid career." As Dr. Kane, though bent on an errand of mercy, 
was the first American to attempt "to lift the dead veil of mystery 
which hangs over the Arctic regions," so Lieutenant Strain, for the 
benefit of mankind, was the first American to explore the wonder- 
ful rivers of that region of fabulous fertility in the South. 

While a midshipman, he obtained leave to enter the interior of 
Brazil, and, accompanied by a small party of brave spirits, (among 
whom was Dr. Eeinhart,) he explored the province of San Paulo, 
tracing the rivers Tiete and Paranapanema nearly to their conflu- 
ence with the Parana. The dangers and hardships he encountered 
in this expedition were only inferior to those of the more recent 
and better-known expedition to the Isthmus of Darien. His ser- 
vices as an explorer were suitably acknowledged by the Imperial 
Government; and in Brazil I have heard high encomiums on Lieu- 
tenant Strain, and in his death science has lost a noble son. 

There is also another American explorer who deserves mention, 
not only for his explorations, but for his indefatigable efforts to benefit 
Brazil, Bolivia, and the civilized world, by opening up that part of 
the Amazonian valley where the lordly Madeira and Marmore drain 
one of the most promising regions of our globe. I refer to Colonel 
George Earl Church. For ten 3 T ears Colonel Church labored to this 
end, making many journeys to South America, going repeatedly to Bo- 
livia and Brazil, and thence to Europe and the United States, working 
on his grand scheme to secure governments and capitalists to develop, 
hy means of a railway around the Falls of the Madeira, and b}> steam- 
ers on the Upper Madeira and Marmore, the resources of Brazil, and 
to give Bolivia an outlet to the Atlantic. After a prolonged effort of 
years, he saw accomplished, on the first of September, 1878, a pre- 
liminary survey of sixty-five miles, — out of the entire 168 miles; 
twenty-two miles located and accepted ; cleared of timber fifteen 
miles ; under construction five miles ; and actually laid with rails 
three miles. He had engaged European capitalists and American 
contractors to execute this great undertaking, when, after the ex- 
pense of immense sums of money, the work for the time has been 
prematurely stopped by either the greed or the injustice of the Eng- 
lish capitalists in withholding funds. It is to be hoped that the check 
is only temporary, and that Colonel Church ma} T be able to carry 
out his noble plan to which he has devoted so mairy years. He 
and the Messrs. Collins have the sympathy of the civilized world. 

In the northern part of this province are countless hosts of 
monkeys, mostly of the howling kind. M. de Castelnau, on the 



A Race of Indians "with Tails. 1 



461 



head-waters of the Amazon, found the written authentic account 
of a padre of very early times, who affirmed that ihere was here 
a race of Indians which 
he had seen, who were 
dwarfish in size and had 
tails. He says that one 
was brought to him whose 
caudal extremity was 
"the thickness of a finger, 
and half a palm long, and 
covered with a smooth 
and naked skin;" and 
also he further sets his 
seal to the fact that the 
Indian cut his own tail 
once a month, as he did 
not like to have it too 
long. Was not the padre's 
dwarf the Br achy ur us cal- 
vus, with the short, ball- 
like tail, discovered a few 
years ago in this region 
by Mr. Deville ? 

Cuiaba, the capital of 
Mato Grosso, has a 
healthy location upon a 
river of the same name. 

Although called a city, it is, in fact, but a village. Its houses are 
nearly all built of taipa, with floors of hardened clay or brick. 
The region immediately surrounding it is said to be so abundant 
in gold, that some grains of it may be found wherever the earth 
is excavated. It is about one hundred miles from the diamond- 
district. 

Its soil is fertile, but it almost universally lacks cultivation, in 
some parts particular attention is given to grazing; but, gene- 
rally speaking, the inhabitants make no exertions to produce any 
thing that is not requisite for their own consumption. Indeed, 
they do not always reach the limit of their own necessities. The 




THE BALD-HEADED BRACHYURL'S. 



462 Brazil and ihe Brazilians. 

province abounds in gold and diamonds; but, owing to the lack 
of skill employed in searching for them, the products of either, for 
latter years, have been very small. What is gained by the miners 
and the garimpeiros, as the diamond-seekers are called, together 
with a certain quantity of ipecacuanha, constitute the whole 
amount of exports from the province. These articles are gene- 
rally sent on mule-back to Eio de Janeiro, where manufactured 
goods in return are purchased and sent back over the tedious land- 
route. 

The first printing-press ever seen in Mato Grosso was procured 
at the expense of the Government in 1838. In matters of educa- 
tion this province is exceedingly backward. The schools are not 
only few in number, but great inconveniences are suffered from the 
lack of books, paper, and nearly every other material essential to 
elementary education. In addition to this low and unpromising 
state of education, that of religion appears, from the reports of 
successive presidents of the province, to be still worse. There are 
but few churches in existence: not more than half of these are 
supplied with priests; and all, without great expenses in repairing, 
w T ill ere long be in ruins. 

Goyaz and Mato Grosso may be ranked together in the relation 
they bear to the other portions of the Empire and of the world. 
Both were originally settled by gold-hunters. The lure of treasure 
led adventurers to bury themselves in the deep recesses of these 
interminable forests. Their search was successful. Their most 
eager avarice was satiated. But agriculture was neglected; peo- 
ple could not eat gold, and in many instances those who were able 
to count their treasure by arrobas were in the greatest want of the 
necessities of life. The ground was not cultivated; nothing was 
exported; no flourishing towns were built. The gold-fever, abating, 
left society in a state so enfeebled that we see its effects even to- 
day. Gold and diamonds hindered the progress of Goyaz and 
Mato Grosso more than their dense forests and great distance 
from the sea-shore. It is instructive to look at the widely-different 
results of the mineral and vegetable riches of the Empire. After 
Mexico and Peru, (before the discovery of Australian and Califor- 
nian treasure,) Brazil furnished the largest quantum of hard cur- 
rency to the commercial world. Here the diamond, the ruby, the 



Difference in Results from Diamonds and Coffee. 468 

sapphire, the topaz, and the rainbow-tinted opal sparkle in their 
native splendor. And yet so much greater are the riches of the 
agricultural productions of the Empire, that the annual sum received 
for the single article of coffee surpasses the results of eighty years' 
yield of the diamond-mines. From 1740 to 1822 (the era of inde- 
pendence), a period which w^as the most prosperous in diamond- 
mining, the number of carats were tw r o hundred and thirty-two 
thousand, worth not quite three and a half millions pounds sterling. 
The exports of coffee from Rio alone during the }'ear 1851 amounted 
to £4,756,794 ! But the contrast is even greater when we compare 
a recent and still more prosperous era of diamond-mining. From 
1869 to 1874, the annual average of diamonds exported from Brazil 
amounted in value to £1,050,651 ; for the same five }'ears the annual 
value of the coffee exported was no less than £62,378,000 ! Or, to 
make a still more striking contrast, take the exportation of coffee in 
the two years ending June, 1874. In those years Brazil exported 
coffee to the value of $128,060,000, and, during the same period, 
diamonds to the amount only of $10,506,512. And when we add 
the sums obtained for the other great staples of sugar, cotton, seringa 
(or the India-rubber), d} T e-woods, and the productions of the im- 
mense herds of the South, we have, it is true, a better idea of the 
sources of wealth in Brazil, but only a faint conception of the vast 
resources of this fertile Empire. 

Having thus glanced at all the interior provinces except Amazonas, 
we next turn our attention to the maritime provinces north of Rio de 
Janeiro. 

Note for 1866. — The war with Paraguay (which was a piece of unparalleled 
barbarity on the part of President Lopez, son of the old Dictator) brought untold 
misery upon the thinly-settled population. The steamers which plied between 
Cuiaba and Montevideo were stopped until the career of Lopez was ended. The} r 
resumed their voyages in 1870. All the products of the country, chiefly ipecacu- 
anha, descend the river and are thus brought to market. Probably the largest 
purchaser in the world of ipecacuanha and of Brazilian sarsaparilla is the well- 
known firm of J. C. Ayer & Co., of Lowell, Massachusetts, whose remedies, by 
their intrinsic excellence, and by the business energy of the firm, are found in 
every land of our globe. In 1863, Brazilian officials descended the rivers Araguaya 
and Tocantins to Para in the old style (see page 456). Though there are many 
difficulties, these great rivers may yet be made to serve as highways from an 
interior almost closed to the outer world. 



CHAPTEE XXIY. 

CAPE FRIO — WRECK OF THE FRIGATE THETIS — CAMPOS — ESPIRITO SANTO — ABORI- 
GINES ORIGIN OF INDIAN CIVILIZATION THE PALM-TREE AND ITS USES — 

THE TUPI-GUARANI — THE LINGOA GERAL FEROCITY OF THE AYMORES THE 

CITY OF BAHIA PORTERS — CADEIRAS HISTORY OF BAHIA — CARAMURU ATTACK 

OF THE HOLLANDERS MEASURES TAKEN BY SPAIN THE CITY RETAKEN — THE 

DUTCH IN BRAZIL SLAVE-TRADE SOCIABILITY OF BAHIA MR. GILLMER, AME- 
RICAN CONSUL THE HUMMING-BIRD WHALE-FISHERY — AMERICAN CEMETERY 

HENRY MARTYN VISIT TO MONTSERRAT VIEW OF THE CITY THE EMPEROR'S 

BIRTHDAY MEDICAL SCHOOL PUBLIC LIBRARY IMAGE-FACTORY THE WON- 
DERFUL IMAGE OF ST. ANTHONY — NO MIRACLE ST. ANTHONY A COLONEL 

VISIT TO VALENCA DARING NAVIGATION IN PURIS NATURALIBTJS THE FAC- 
TORY AND COLONEL CARSON AMERICAN MACHINERY SKILFUL NEGROES — 

RETURN HOME — COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. 

To reach the Brazilian North by sea has been no difficult task 
since 1839. At Eio de Janeiro, scarcely three days elapse unless 
some steamer, either foreign or nagional, embarks for the city of 
Bahia. Entering one of these, in a few hours we will be abreast 
of Cape Frio, which huge oval mass of granite marks the spot 
where the line of coast turns to the north and forms nearly a 
right angle. 

Some years ago, the English frigate Thetis, bound homeward at 
the expiration of a cruise in the Pacific, was wrecked upon Cape 
Frio. This vessel, on leaving the harbor of Bio, where she had 
touched, encountered foul weather. After struggling against it 
till it was presumed she had cleared the coast, she bore away on 
her course. The darkness of the night was impenetrable, and, the 
wind being strong, the ship was running eight or ten knots an 
hour, when, without the slightest warning or apprehension of 
danger by any one on board, she dashed upon this rocky bulwark. 
The officers and crew, in the shock and consternation of the mo- 
ment, had barely time to transfer themselves to contiguous por- 
464 



Espirito Santo. 465 

lions of the promontory, before the shivered frigate went to the 
bottom. Most of those on board were saved by drawing them- 
selves up, on shelves of the rock, out of the reach of the waves, 
where, in the most constrained position, they were forced to remain 
throughout the dismal night. 

A good light-house has since been constructed upon Cape Frio, 
which at the present time renders the approach of the navigator 
nearly as safe by night as it is by day. 

We pass the Parahiba River, twenty miles from the mouth of 
which is the flourishing town of Campos, formerly called S. 
Salvador. The vast region surrounding this town is known as the 
Campos dos G-oyatakazes, or plains of the Goyatakaz Indians, the 
aboriginal inhabitants. It is a rich tract of country, and has, for 
beauty, been compared to the Eiysian fields. Campos is situated 
on the western bank of the river. The town has regular and well- 
paved streets, with some fine houses. Its commerce is extensive, 
employing a vast number of coasting-smacks to export its sugar, 
its rum, its coffee, and its rice. The sugars of Campos are said by 
some to be the best in Brazil. 

Not many leagues beyond the disemboguement of the Parahiba 
we sail along the coast of Espirito Santo. This province embraces 
the old captaincy of the same name, and part of that of Porto 
Seguro. Although this portion of the coast was that discovered 
by Cabral and settled by the first Donataries, yet it is still but 
thinly inhabited, and has not made the improvements that may be 
found in most other parts. Its soil is fertile, and especially adapted 
to the cultivation of sugarcane, together with most of the inter- 
tropical productions. Its forests furnish precious woods and useful 
drugs, and its waters abound with valuable fish. But vast regions 
of its territory are only roamed by savage tribes, who still make 
occasional plundering incursions upon the settlements. Surveys 
have recently been instituted upon the rivers Doce and S. Ma- 
theus, and it is thought practicable to render those streams navi- 
gable to small steamers. Organized companies have had these 
enterprises in charge, and propose to open new and direct means 
of transport between the coast and the province of Minas-Geraes. 
Should this undertaking succeed, it will be of great importance, 

not only to the provinces of Espirito Santo and Minas-Geraes, but 

30 



466 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ill so to the city of Bahia, to which large quantities of the produce 
exported would be directly conveyed. 

The distance from Bio de Janeiro to Bahia is about eight hundred 
miles. There is no large city or nourishing port on the coast, nor 
is there a single direct or beaten road through the interior. The 
only author who has ever travelled over this portion of Brazil by 
land is Prince Maximilian of Neuwied. Few naturalists have 
exhibited more enthusiasm, and few travellers more persevering 
industry, than did His Highness in passing through these wild and 
uncultivated regions. It is difficult to form an idea of the impedi- 
ments, annoyances, and dangers which he had to surmount. But 
such was the interest and cheerfulness with which the Prince per- 
formed his journeys, that he described his condition by saying, 
"Although scratched and maimed by thorns, soaked by the rains, 
exhausted by incessant perspiration caused by the heat, never- 
theless the traveller is transported in view of the magnificent 
vegetation." His travels in Brazil were accomplished between the 
years 1815 and 1818, and the rich and interesting work in which 
he gave their results to the world furnishes up to the present day 
the best account we have of the scenery and of the people on this 
section of the coast. No part of Brazil has been less agitated by 
the revolutions of the last half-century. Under the present regime> 
there has been a gradual improvement; yet, up to 1839, the whole 
province of Espirito Santo contained not a single printing-press, 
and many of its churches, built with great expense by the early 
settlers, are going to decay. But when we look at recent educa- 
tional statistics, we find that there is progress even in this quiet 
corner of the world. In 1839, there were only seven primary 
schools in the province ; but in 1875 the Minister of the Empire 
reports 104 schools, sustained b}< the Imperial fund, and thirty-two 
that were conducted hy provincial and private enterprise. Various 
internal improvements are contemplated ; and we hope the day is not 
far distant when Espirito Santo shall have her fertile soil, which is 
so well adapted to sugar and coffee teeming with cultivation. Popu- 
lation in 1875, 90,000, of which 31,000 were farmers. 

Frequent allusion has been made to the aboriginal tribes of Brazil. 
Their history would fill many volumes. The same interest which 
attaches to the Incas and their subjects, to the Montezumas and 



Origin of Indian Civilization. 467 

the millions over whom they lorded it, does not belong to the tribes 
or nations which inhabited Brazil at its discovery. The few re- 
mains of antiquity which have been reported in the North are doubt- 
less monuments of the Empire of the Incas east of the Andes. 

That erudite and accurate student of Indian antiquities, Mr. 
Schoolcraft, has, I think, clearly shown that the germ of Mexican 
civilization w T as the cultivation of the maize, which, to produce in 
quantities and in perfection, requires, at least for some months 
continued labor. Thus the ancient Mexicans, if they were even 
for a short time nomadic, would be recalled to the spot whence 
they drew their principal sustenance. The want of rain either 
called forth efforts for artificial irrigation, or for the construction 
of floating gardens on the lakes which gem the great Valley of 
Azteca. These could not be well abandoned without the greatest 
sacrifice, and thus there grew up insensibly a community, — a settle- 
ment. If the early history of the great Peruvian nation, which 
numbered more than three times the population of Mexico, could 
be known, we should doubtless find that their civilization originated 
in endeavoring to procure food by the cultivation of the rainless 
and arid Pacific sea-coast, by resorting to artificial irrigation. 
When strength of mind and skill were developed, they could push 
their way into a more favored region, driving back other tribes. 
Thus, in time, they extended their conquests, their comparative 
civilization, and their Sabean religion over a territory comprising 
the country from the Pacific coast on the west to the eastern slope 
of the Andes, and from the equator to Valparaiso. 

The tribes of Brazil, however, from the natural irrigation, and 
from the spontaneous products of the forests and plains, had no 
motives to call forth that mental effort for existence which often 
results in civilization. They were not settled; neither were they 
habitually and widely nomadic, each tribe having certain limits, 
where it remained until driven out by a superior force. The 
plantain, the banana, the cashew, the yam, — above all, the man- 
dioca, and the more than two hundred species of palms, — furnished 
them food, drink, and raiment. The little cultivation to which 
they attended was that of the mandioca-root, which, when planted 
in burned ground, thrives among the stumps and roots of trees 
without further husbandry. 



• 



M)8 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 




1>ii(. the most generous giffe (to 

which allusion has been made) that 

bountiful Providenoe gave Brasil is 

the palm tree, The traveller 

SMfejv in the interior provinoes and 



upon the sea-ooast away from 
the cities is struok by the 

rent :i|i| >li«*:i I Ion <>f this " iVincu 



JAMA-ASSU I'AIM U t Ot'Ol DINA MAJOR.) 



very g 

»f the Vegetable Kingdom" to the 

wauls of man. And if the prince 

plays so Important a part in the do 
mestio eoonomy of Europeans and 
their descendants, ids highness was 

and is servant ft)T general house and 

field work among the aborigines of 
Brasil. To this day it furnishes the 

Am.t BOnian Indians house, raiment, 

food, drink, salt, fishing-tackle, hunt- 
ing-implements, and musical instruments, and 
almost every neoessary of life except flesh. Take! 
the hut of an l laupe Indian on one of the affluents 
of the loo Negro. The rafters are formed by 
the straight and uniform palm called Leopoldina 

pulchrd ; the POOf is composed ol' the 

loaves of the Oarana palm; the doon 

and framework of the split stems of 

the Triartea exhoriza, The wide 

\ bark which grows beneath 

,1, V \ the fruit iA' another species is 

n|5 sometimes used as an apron. 

M The Indian's hammock, his 

« bow-strings, and his fishing* 

lines are woven and twisted 

from the fibrous portions n 
different palms. The ooral 

with which the males oi' sonic 
of the tribes adorn their 
heads is made from the hard 



The Brazilian Savages Cannibals. 469 

wood of a palm; and the fish-hooks arc made from the spinets of 

the same tree. The Indian makes, from the fibrous spathes of the 
Manicaria saccifera, eaps for his head, or cloth in which he wraps 
his most treasured feather-ornaments. From eight species he can 
obtain intoxicating liquor; from many more (not including the 
cocoanut-palm, found on the sea-coast) he receives oil and a harvest 
of fruit; and from one (the Jar a assu) he procures, by burning the 
large clusters of small nuts, a substitute for salt. From another he 
forms a cylinder for squeezing the mandioca-pulp, because it resists 
for a long time the action of the poisonous juice. The great woody 
spathes of the Maxlmiliana regia are " used by hunters to cook meat 
in, as, with water in them, they stand the fire well:" (Wallace.) 
These spathes are also employed for carrying earth, and sometimes 
for cradles. Arrows are made from the spinous processes of the 
Patawd, and lances and heavy harpoons are made from the Iriatea 
ventricosa; the long blowpipe through which the Indian sends the 
poisoned arrow that brings down the bright birds, the fearless 
peccari, and even the thick-skinned tapir, is furnished by the 
Setigera palm: the great, bassoon-like musical instruments used in 
the " devil- worship" of the Uaupes are also made from the stems 
of palm-trees 

One would have supposed that a people thus supplied with 
almost every necessity of life would have exhibited gentleness 
and docility, and would have been among the most peaceful of the 
denizens of the New World. On the contrary, the aborigines of 
Brazil were a warlike, ferocious people, unskilled in the usual arts 
of peace, and were of the most vengeful and bloody character. 
Many of these tribes were cannibals: some ate their enemies in 
grand ceremonial; others made war for the purpose of obtaining 
human food; and others still devoured their relatives and friends 
as a mark of honor and distinguished consideration. At this day, 
in the remote interior, on the upper waters of the Amazon, there 
exist, in as wild a state as when South America was first dis- 
covered, tribes whose anthropophagous propensities arc as fully 
indulged as if the European had never placed foot upon the conti- 
nent. We would feel inclined to discredit the accounts of all the 
early navigators who touched upon the Brazilian coasts in regard 
to the cannibalism of the natives, were it not that it is fully con- 



J 



470 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



firmed at the present day : forty days' journey (as travellers travel) 
from the mouth of the Amazon up the river Purus, are found the 
Catauixis, and near them other tribes of Indians, who, Mr. Wallace 
(a thorough and truthful explorer) says, "are cannibals, killing 
and eating Indians of other tribes, and they preserve the flesh 
thus obtained smoked and dried." 

So far as can be ascertained, there were more than one hundred 
different tribes inhabiting Brazil at the discovery of South America. 

The large majority of these belonged 
to one race, and were called, upon 
the sea-coast, Tupi Tupinaki, Tupi- 
nambi, or something similar, in the 
way of a compound of the root Tup. 
In the South, upon the head- waters 
of the La Plata, they were called 
Guarani. They were most curiously 
situated, dwelling in a narrow belt 
upon the whole sea-coast from the 
mouth of the Amazon down to the 
present province of S. Paulo. Here 
they extended inland to the Para- 
guay, and up its waters and across 
the La Platan and Amazonian sources, where, it 
is surmised, they had their origin : thence they were found upon 
the Marmora, the Madeira, the Tapajoz, and other rivers, down the 
Amazon to the great island of Marajo. This people spoke in effect 
the same language, called by Dr. Latham, in his treatise on the 
languages of the Amazon, the Tupi-Guarani. This learned philolo- 
gist says that as far northward as the equator and as far south as 
Buenos Ayres the Tupi-Guarani language was to be found. Now, 
there were, surrounded by this widely-spread race, numerous tribes 
of other aborigines, who spoke a class of languages totally distinct 
and different. These different tribes, it was ascertained by the 
Jesuits and traders, comprehended, to a certain extent, the Tupi- 
Guarani tongue, though their own languages were so unlike that 
they scarcely had one word in common. The priests, the traders, 
and the slave-hunters pushed their way through these tribes, and 
each, in their widely-different mission, aided in the formation of a 




OTACUDO DANDY. 



the interlacings o 



The Ferocity of the Aymores. 



471 




A NATIVE PLUG-UG L Y. 



remarkable language, called the Lingoa Geral or Lingoa Franca, 
which was the common vehicle of communication, from the Orinoco 
to the La Plata, among people whose lan- 
guages remain unknown. The trader, 
the scientific explorer, and the Brazilian 
Government official, at this day have 
their intercourse with the savages of 
the Japura, the Parana, the Chingu, 
and the Araguaia, by the Lingoa Geral. 
The basis of this, as already observed, is 
the Guarani or Tupi-Guarani tongue.* 

These surrounded tribes, so to speak, 
occasionally, though rarely, succeeded 
in reaching the coast. Thus, the Ay- 
mores — a cannibal tribe who acquired 
such a terrible celebrity — made their 
appearance upon the sea-shore a long time after the discovery of 
Brazil. The coast-tribes regarded them with horror, and con- 
sidered them as irrational beings, 
ignorant of the construction of 
huts and of the art of adorning; 
their persons with the rich plumage 
of the parrot and the gay -painted 
macaw. They had a still more 
distinctive characteristic, that con- 
sisting in an unconquerable fear of 
water, which impeded them from 
following their enemies when they 
swam a river or plunged into a 
lake. They assaulted Porto Seguro 
and the Ilheos with such ferocity 
that Bellegarde says that labor 
cuased on all the plantations for want of workmen who had gone 
to give them battle. They were afterward routed and nearly all 




LIP-ORNAMENT OF THE SOUTH 
AMERICAN INDIAN. 



* Dr. Latham says, •' With two exceptions, the distribution of the numerous dia- 
lects and subdialects of the Tupi-Guarani tongue is the most remarkable in the 
world. — the exceptions being the Malay and the Athabascan tongues." 



472 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



dispersed, and there only remain as their descendants the Bota- 
cudos, a few hundred of whom still — now peacefully — wander upon 
the banks of the rivers Doce and Bellemonte. These Indians, 
like many of the savages of South America, wear the most absurd 
ornaments of light wood, (the aloe,) which they at pleasure insert 
and take out from slits in their ears and lips. 

But the question naturally arises, What have become of the 
numerous tribes once inhabiting the sea-coast and those provinces 
where now a civilized population most abound ? Where are the 
Tupi-Guarani ? Many wandered to remote parts of the Empire ; 




BOTACUDO FAMILY ON THE MARCH. 



European diseases and vices, as well as war and the march of 
civilization, swept them from their places. The Guarani of South 
Brazil, under the Jesuits, reached a certain degree of advance- 
ment ; but the inhuman Portuguese slave-hunter, who pushed his 
way as far as Bolivia, with ruthless hands broke up the missions 
and led them into captivity, and they soon melted away before 
cruel taskmasters. Of the Tupinambas and the Tamoyos, who 
dwelt in the present provinces of Eio de Janeiro and Minas- 
Geraes, the former were exterminated, and the latter were so 
constantly harassed and defeated in war by the colonists, that, 
though for a long time wanting unanimity, they finally were per- 
suaded by the eloquence of an influential and eminent chief (Jappy 
Assii, — a second Orgetorix) to emigrate to the distant North, — 



Resemblance of the Aborigines to the Dyaks. 473 

then more than three thousand miles from their former home, — 
and they settled upon the southern bank of the Amazon, from 
its confluence with the Madeira, at various points, clown to the 
island of Marajo. Their descendants are found this day in the 
country between the Tapajoz and the Madeira, among the lakes 
and channels of the great island of the Tupinambas. They are 
now called the Mandrucus, — the most 
warlike Indians of South America. They 
live in villages, in each of which is a for- 
tress where all the men sleep at night. 
This building is adorned within by the 
dried heads of their enemies decked 
with feathers. These ghastly orna- 
ments have the features and hair very 
well preserved. 

The existing tribes, in their manners 
and customs, are closely allied to our 
North American Indians, with this ex- 
ception : — that the savages south of the 
equator have all been found to be ex- 
ceedingly deficient in any religious idea. 
None of them, when first visited, seemed 
to have the faintest conception of the 

Great Spirit which so strikingly characterized the simple theo- 
logy of the aborigines of the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence. 
Attempts to civilize them have proved abortive except when they 
are held in a state of pupilage, as they were by the Jesuits, or 
under the rigid discipline of the Brazilian army. 

The curious ethnologist will find in the tribes of the Upper 
Amazonian waters the red man who has been untouched by 
civilization. Mr. "Wallace — who roamed for some years among 
these sons of the wilderness — has given us much information in 
regard to them, and says that one of the singular facts connected 
with these Indians is the resemblance which exists between some of 
their customs and those of nations most remote from them. Thus, 
the gravatdna or blowpipe reappears in the sumpitan of Borneo; 
the great houses of the Uaupes and Mandrucus closely resemble 
those of the Dyaks of the same country; while many small baskets 




474 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and bamboo boxes from Borneo and New Guinea are so similar in 
their form and construction to those of the Amazonian Indians 
that they might be supposed to belong to adjoining tribes. Then, 
again, the Mandruciis, like the Dyaks, take the heads of their 
enemies, smoke-dry them with equal care, preserving the skin and 
hair entire, and hang them up around their houses. In Australia, 
the throwing-stick is used ; and on a remote branch of the Amazon 
(the Purus) we see a tribe of Indians (the Purupurus) differing 
from all around them in substituting for the bow a weapon only 
found in such a remote portion of the earth, among a people so 
distinct from them in almost every physical characteristic. 

The aboriginal population is unknown, and there are only about 
nineteen thousand catechized or Christian Indians reported by the 
Minister of the Empire. 

On the ocean-route from Eio to Bahia there are four small islands, 
called the Abrolhos, ("Open your eyes,") which are dangerous pro- 
jections from a bank of rocks that exhibits itself occasionally 
between the seventeenth and twenty-fifth degrees of south lati- 
tude, at a distance of from two to ten leagues from the mainland. 
Besides these, there is also a regular reef of rocks running quite 
near the shore, and generally parallel with it, the whole distance 
from Cape Frio to Maranham. Espirito Santo, Porto Seguro, 
Ilheos, and, in fact, nearly all the ports along the entire coast, are 
formed by openings through this reef. 

After three or four days' steaming, the lower extremity of the 
island of Itaparica, with its numerous palm-trees, looms up in the 
horizon, and but a short time elapses before the eye catches the 
outline of tne white domes and towers of Bahia San Salvador, the 
second city of the Empire. 

When the steamer arrived, I was, through the kindness of the 
surveyor of the port, immediately transferred to the shore in hii 
Government-barge. The walls of a circular fort rising from tin 
bosom of the water, built by the Dutch, frown upon the shipping 
while the fortresses on the hills command the harbor and tin 

entire city. 

Landing at the Custom-House, I passed into the lower town 
with its narrow streets (in some places there is but one) running 
parallel to the water's edge. 



The City of Bahia. 475 

Along the Eua da Praya are located the Alfandega and the Con- 
Buhido, through the latter of which all home-productions must pass 
preliminary to exportation. Some of the trapiches (warehouses) 
near by are of immense extent, and are said to be among the 
largest in the world. 

Around the landing-places cluster hundreds of canoes, launches, 
and various other small craft, discharging their loads of fruit and 
produce. On one part of the praya is a wide opening, which is 
used as a market-place. Near this a beautiful spacious modern 
building has been constructed for an exchange. It is well supplied 
with newspapers from all parts of the world, and is in a cool and 
airy situation. The principal commercial houses are situated on 
the Eua Nova do Commercio, and these compose the finest blocks 
of buildings in Brazil,— perhaps in all South America. These 
edifices would adorn the business-portions of London, Paris or 
New York. 

The lower town is not calculated to make a favorable impression 
upon the stranger. The lofty buildings are nearly all old, although 
generally of a cheerful exterior. The streets in this vicinity are 
very narrow, uneven, and wretchedly paved, and at times as filthy 
as any in Christendom. At the same time it is crowded with pedlars 
and carriers of every description. You here become acquainted 
with one peculiarity of Bahia. Owing to the irregularities of its 
surface and the steepness of the ascent which separates the upper 
town from the lower, it does not admit the use of wheel-carriages. 
Not even a cart or truck is to be seen for the purpose of removing 
burdens from one place to another. Whatever requires change of 
place in all the commerce and ordinary business of this extensive 
seaport must pass on the heads and shoulders of men. Burdens are 
here more frequently carried upon the shoulders, since, the principal 
exports of the city being sugar in cases and cotton in bales, it is 
impossible that they should be borne on the head like bags of coffee. 
But a lift now takes one to the upper city where are tram-ways on 
the plains. 

Immense numbers of tall, athletic negroes are seen moving in 

airs or gangs of four, six, or eight, with their loads suspended 

between them on heavy poles. Numbers more of their fellows are 

seen sitting upon their poles, braiding straw, or lying about the 



476 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



alleys and corners of the streets asleep, reminding one of black 
snakes coiled up in the sunshine. The sleepers generally have 
some sentinel ready to call them when they are wanted for busi- 
ness, and at the given signal they rouse up, like the elephant to his 
burden. Like the coffee-carriers of Rio, they often sing and shout 
as they go j but their gait is necessarily slow and measured, re- 
sembling a dead-march rather than the double-quick step of their 
Fluminensian colleagues. Another class of negroes are devoted to 
carrying passengers in a species of sedan-chair called cadeiras. 




PORTERS OF BAHIA. 



It is indeed a toilsome and often a dangerous task for a white 
person to ascend on foot the bluffs on which stands the cidade alta, 
particularly when the powerful rays of the sun are pouring, with- 
out mitigation, upon the head. No omnibus or cab can be found 
to do him service. In accordance with this state of things, he 
finds near every corner or place of public resort a long row of cur- 
tained cadeiras, the bearers of which, hat in hand, crowd around 
him with all the eagerness, though not with the impudence, of 
carriage-drivers in North America, saying, " Quer cadeira, Senhor?' 
("Will you have a chair, sir?") When he has made his selection, 
and seated himself to his liking, the bearers elevate their load and 
march along, apparently as much pleased with the opportunity of 



(Jadeiras and thetr Carriers. 



477 



> 



/**- 



carrying a passenger as he is with the chance of being carried. 
To keep a cadeira or two, and negroes to bear them, is as necessary 
for a family in Bahia as the keeping of carriages and horses is else- 
where. The livery of the carriers, and the expensiveness of the 
curtaining and ornaments of the cadeira, indicate the rank and 
style which the family maintains. 

Occasionally you will 
meet a proud Creole Mina 
negress, who rejoices in 
the name par excellence 
of the Bahiana. Her 
turban, her shawl, her 
ornaments, and her 
elastic step in the heel- 
ed slipper, display a 
native grace unattain- 
able by modern fashion. 
I regret that I have 
no sketch of Bahia taken 
from the water, — for 
from that point the city 
seems truly magnificent 
in its proportions; but 
the large cut, from a 
daguerreotype, gives a 
view of the religious 
metropolis of Brazil, 
stretching on its ter- 
raced hills around to 
Montserrat. The steep ascent on which we see the cadeira- 
carriers is the same up which Henry Martyn climbed in 1805, so 
graphically described in the journal incorporated in the pages of 
his biography. The lower city, with the exception of the Eua 
Nova do Commercio, has been very little changed since the visit 
of that devoted missionary. 

Some of the streets between the upper and lower towns wind 
by a zigzag course along ravines; others slant across an almost 
perpendicular bluff, to avoid, as much as possible, its steepness, 




^^ 



EGRESS. 



478 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Nor is the surface level when you have ascended to the summit. 
Not even Rome can boast of so many hills as are here clustered 
together, forming the site of Bahia. Its extent between its 
extreme limits — Bio Yermelho and Montserrat — is about six miles. 
The city is nowhere wide, and for the most part is composed of 
only two or three principal streets. The direction of these 
changes with the various curves and angles necessary to preserve 
the summit of the promontory. Frequent openings between the 
houses built along the summit exhibit the most picturesque views 
of the bay on the one hand and of the country on the other. 
The aspect of the city is antique. Great sums have been expended 
in the construction of its pavements, — more, however, with a view 
to preserve the streets from injury by rain than to furnish roads 
for any kind of carriages. Here and there may be seen an ancient 
fountain of stonework, placed in a valley of greater or less depth, 
to serve as a rendezvous for some stream that trickles down the 
hill above; but nowhere is there any important aqueduct, though 
recent water-works, with steam-engines manufactured in France, 
have been lately erected east of the Noviciado, which will furnish 
a bountiful supply of the potable element to the city. 

In contemplating Bahia from the theatre (the large building on 
the high terrace) we are carried back to the earliest periods of the 
colonial history of Brazil. The old round fort in the midst of the 
waves is an episode of the brief power of Holland in this portion 
of America, upon which Time has made no perceptible change. 

Bahia de Todos os Santos, the Bay of All Saints, was discovered 
in 1503 by Americus Yespucius, who was then voyaging under the 
patronage of the King of Portugal, Bom Manoel. In 1510, a 
vessel under the command of Diogo Alvares Correa was wrecked 
near the entrance of this bay. The Tupinambas, inhabiting the 
coast, fell upon and destroyed all who survived this shipwreck, 
except the captain of the vessel. The Indians spared Diogo, — 
probably, as some supposed, on account of his activity in assisting 
them to save articles from the wreck. He had the good fortune 
to obtain a musket and some barrels of powder and ball. He early 
took occasion to shoot a bird, and the Indians, terrified by the ex- 
plosion no less than by its effects, called him from that moment 
Caramuru, "the man of fire." 



Romantic History of Caramuru. 479 

He then conciliated their favor by assuring them that, although 
he was a terror to his enemies, he could be a valuable auxiliary to 
his friends. He accordingly accompanied the Tupinambas on an 
expedition against a neighboring tribe with whom they were at 
war. The first discharge of Caramuru's musket gained him 
possession of the field, his frightened adversaries scampering for 
their lives. 

Little more was necessary to secure him a perfect supremacy 
among the aboriginals. As a proof of this, he was soon compli- 
mented with proposals from various chiefs, who offered him their 
daughters in marriage. Diogo made choice of Paraguassii, 
daughter of the head-chief Itaparica, whose name is perpetuated 
as the designation of the large island in front of the city, while 
that of Paraguassu, the bride, is applied to one of the rivers 
emptying into the bay. He built a hamlet which he denominated 
S. Salvador,* in gratitude for his escape from the shipwreck. 
This settlement was located in a place denominated Graca, on the 
Victoria Hill, a suburb of the city, still occasionally called Villa 
Velha, (old town.) 

After the lapse of some years, a ship from Normandy anchored 
in front of Caramuru's town aud opened communications with 
the shore. Diogo now determined to return to Europe; and, 
having supplied the vessel with a cargo, he embarked for Dieppe, 
accompanied by Paraguassu. He intended, if he arrived safely, to 
go from Dieppe to Lisbon. The French, however, would not per- 
mit this, but preferred to make him a lion in their own capital. 
Paraguassu was the first Indian female who had ever appeared in 
Paris. A splendid fete was given at her baptism, when she was 
christened Catharine Alvares, after the Queen Catharine de Medicis. 
King Henry II., accompanying his royal spouse, officiated on the 
occasion as godfather and sponsor. 

*In successive editions of the narrative of the " United States Exploring Expe- 
dition" we find the following: — "The city of San Salvsftlor, better known as Rio 
de Janeiro," — which is comparable for accuracy to McCulloch's Geographical 
Dictionary, making the mountainous province of Rio de Janeiro to consist "mostly 
of plains." San Salvador is eight hundred miles north of Rio de Janeiro, and 
Sati Sebastian — the old name of Rio — has about as much similarity to San Salvador 
as New Orleans has to New York. 



480 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The French Government contracted with Caramuru to send out 
vessels which should carry him to his adopted country, and return 
with brazil-wood and other articles, which should be given in ex- 
change for goods and trinkets. In the mean time, true to his original 
intent, he contrived to inform Dom John III., of Portugal, of the 
importance of colonizing Bahia. A young Portuguese, who had 
just finished his studies in Paris and was returning to Portugal, 
was the bearer of this message. This young man (Pedro Fer- 
nandez Sardinha) afterward became Bishop of Bahia. 

The natives rejoiced at Caramuru's return, and his colony now 
increased rapidly and extended its influence in every direction. 

At this period the King of Portugal, in order to secure the set- 
tlement of Brazil, divided the country into twelve captaincies, 
each of fifty leagues' extent on the coast, and boundless toward 
the interior. Each captaincy was conceded to a Donatary, whose 
power and authority were absolute. Francisco Pereira Coutinho, 
who came to take possession of Bahia, was a man rash and arbi- 
trary in the extreme. He became jealous of the influence of Diogo 
Alvares, and commenced to persecute and oppress him, and finally 
sent him on board a ship as a prisoner. 

This course exasperated the Indians, who determined on revenge. 
They attacked the settlement and killed Coutinho. Diogo Alvares 
was again restored to his original supremacy. 

The growing importance of the country, together with rumors 
of violence practised bj 7 the Donataries, induced Dom John III. to 
appoint a Governor-General of Brazil, to reside at S. Salvador and 
to have jurisdiction over all the Donataries. 

In 1549, Thome de Souza, the first Governor-General, landed with 
military ceremonies at Villa Yelha, but in the course of a month 
proceeded to choose another location for the commencement of his 
operations. It was that of the present Cathedral, Government 
Palace, and other public buildings. 

Caramuru was now an old man, but was of great service to the 
Governor-General M consummating with the natives a treaty of 
peace. In four months a hundred houses were built, and various 
sugar-plantations were laid out in the vicinity. 

From this period the city of S. Salvador, having been constituted 
the capital of Portuguese America, and remaining under the direct 



Bahia Captured by the Hollanders. 481 

patronage of the mother-country, rapidly increased in size and 
importance. 

The year 1624 witnessed the first depredations of the Dutch 
upon the then quiet and prosperous city of Bahia. Without the 
least notice or provocation, a fleet from Holland entered the 
harbor, attacked the city, burned the shipping, and debarked men 
to seize the fortress of S. Antonio, and, after some fighting, gained 
possession of the town. This they sacked, not even sparing the 
churches. The captors immediately erected additional fortifica- 
tions and built many new houses. They made prizes of all the 
Portuguese and Spanish ships that came into the harbor not 
knowing that the town had changed masters. 

Portugal was at this time tributary to Spain. The news of the 
loss of Bahia caused great consternation at Madrid, and the more 
since it had been rumored that the English were to unite their 
forces with the Dutch and establish the Elector-Palatine King of 
Brazil. The Spanish court adopted measures worthy of its super- 
stition and its power. Instructions were despatched to the Gover- 
nors of Portugal, requiring them to examine into the crimes which 
had provoked this visitation of the divine vengeance, and to 
punish them forthwith. JSTovenas were appointed throughout the 
whole kingdom; and a litany and prayers, framed for the occasion. 
were to be said after the mass. On one of the nine days there was 
to be a solemn procession of the people in every town and village, 
and of the monks in every cloister. The sacrament was exposed 
in all the churches of Lisbon, and a hundred thousand crowns were 
contributed in that city to aid the Government in recovering 
S. Salvador. 

A great ocean-fleet of forty sail, carrying eight thousand soldiers, 
sailed under D. Fadrique de Toledo and D. Manoel de Menezes, 
which in March, 1625, appeared off the bay; and after some delay. 
the object of which was to learn if the Hollanders had received 
reinforcements, D. Fadrique, satisfied that they had not, entered 
the harbor with trumpets sounding, colors flying, and the ships 
ready for action. The Dutch vessels also, and the walls and forts, 
were dressed out, with their banners and streamers hoisted, either 
to welcome friends or defy enemies, whichever these new-comers 
might prove to be. The city had been fortified with great cart*. 



482 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

according to the best principles of engineering, — a science in which 
no people had at that time such experience as the Dutch. It was 
defended by ninety -two pieces of artillery, and from the new fort 
upon the beach they fired red-hot shot. 

After some severe skirmishing, the Dutch, having waited in vain 
for the fleet from Holland, proposed a capitulation, which was 
acceded to. 

The Hollanders attempted to retake the city in 1638, under 
Mauritz, Count of Nassau, who was then in possession of Pernarn- 
buco and a large portion of the adjoining coast. They were re- 
peatedly defeated at Bahia, but succeeded for a time at other 
points. 

The original attack, on the part of the Dutch, grew out of 
purely mercenary motives. It was planned and executed under 
the auspices of the celebrated West India Company. Proving 
successful at first, the Hollanders did not content themselves with 
plundering the inhabitants, but determined to make the very soil 
their own. Their inroads were manfully resisted by the Portu- 
guese, and the war, at different times, extended along the whole 
coast from Bahia to Maranham. 

In 1636, Mauritz, Count of Nassau, was sent out to take com- 
mand of the troops and to govern the new Empire. Under his 
direction active measures were set on foot; forts, cities, and 
palaces were built, and the country was explored in search of 
mines. Agriculture was undertaken with a strong hand, and it is 
easy to imagine what changes would have been introduced into 
those fertile regions by the industrious Hollanders, had not the 
fate of war decided against them. In the low ground, the marshes 
and the streams that surround the city of Pernambuco, they would 
have especially gloried. 

But the Brazilians, under their vigilant leaders., Camarao, Hen- 
rique Diaz, (the former an Indian, the latter a negro,) Souto, and 
V ieyra, kept up such incessant attacks upon the Hollanders, that 
at last, in 1654, they were expelled from Pernambuco, and in 1661 
they abandoned, by negotiation, all claim to Brazil. 

It is interesting to think that, whatever motives may have urged 
the commercial Hollanders to attack Brazil, the Christians of that 
brave little Protestant country were not slow to follow up the 



Commerce for the Ransom of Slaves. 483 

.settlements; and hence, in Pernambuco and vicinity, faithful mis- 
sionary stations were established, and, when the Dutch were finally 
driven from the country, some of the clergymen came to New 
Amsterdam, and one of them was the first pastor of the Dutch 
Reformed Church founded at Flatbush, Long Island. 

From this time the Hollanders ceased their attacks on Bahia, 
that city advanced in wealth and prosperity, and was the seat of 
the Viceroyalty until 1763, when it was transferred to Eio de 
Janeiro. 

The position of Bahia, opposite the coast of Africa, caused it to 
be, from early times, an important rendezvous for those engaged 
in the African slave-trade. The offensive ideas now associated 
with that traffic among all enlightened nations are strangely in 
contrast with the semblance of philanthropy under which it was 
originally carried on. What a worthy enterprise, to send vessels 
to ransom those poor pagan captives and bring them where they 
could be Christianized by baptism, and at the same time lend a 
helping hand to those who had been so kind as to purchase them 
out of heathen bondage and bring them to a Christian country ! 
Expressive of such ideas, the bland title by which the buying and 
selling of human beings was known during the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries, was the " commerce for the ransom of slaves." 

Bahia increased in population and wealth, and in 1808 its pros- 
perity was still more augmented by the Carta Regia which opened 
the ports of Brazil to the world. 

This city was the last that remained faithful to Portugal; for, 
though the independence of the Empire was declared in September, 
1822, it was not until July, 1823, and after severe suffering, that 
the Portuguese army evacuated Bahia de San Salvador. The rebel- 
lion of 1837 was frightful in the extreme; but the Imperial Go- 
vernment finally obtained the mastery, and from that day to this 
Bahia has continued quiet, and has made rapid strides of im- 
provement. 

I do not think that there is any city in Brazil that so interests 
the foreigner as Bahia. It is the spiritual capital of the country, 
being the residence of the archbishop. The churches, the con- 
vents, and other public buildings, are upon a large scale, and have 
no provincialism in their appearance. The people are gay and 



484 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



social, and in my extended travels throughout the Empire 1 have 
nowhere found a society equal to that of Bahia. At the house of 
Mr. Gillmer, the American Consul, one was always sure to meet the 
most refined and well-educated Brazilians. This gentleman was one 
of the few American consuls who, by knowledge of the language of 
the land where they reside, by sociability of character and ease 
of manners, and by pride of country, justly represent a great 
nation. Mr. Gillmer had long resided at Bahia, and by his many 
excellent qualities had won the hearts of the Brazilians. The 
weeks spent in his agreeable family gave me an opportunity for 
making mairy acquaintances among the citizens of Bahia and the 
foreigners living in that city. The residence of Mr. Gillmer was in 
a delightful portion of the city, where verdure and bloom abound. 
Each night the breezes were laden with sweet odors, and every 
morning the sun seemed to reveal new beauties of opening buds and 
brilliant flowers. The house of his friend Nobre was surrounded 

b}^ shade and fruit trees, and his large 
salon was weekly filled by amateur 
and professional musicians, who gave 
the most charming soirees musicales. 

Early one morning I looked from 
a window of the Consul's house, 
and saw, upon the branch of a 
bread-fruit-tree beneath me, a hum- 
ming-bird sitting quietly upon her 
tiny nest. In the midst of the foli- 
age she appeared like a piece of 
lapis lazuli surrounded by emeralds; 
for her back was of the deepest blue. 
Everywhere throughout Brazil this 
little winged gem, in many varieties, 
abounds, while in North America, 
from Mexico to the fifty-seventh de- 
gree of latitude, it is said that there 
is but one species of the humming- 
bird. Mr. Gosse calls the long-tailed kind (Trochilus polytmus) the 
gem of American ornithology; and well it deserves the title, if 
we consider the flashes of rich golden green, purplish black, deep- 




THE LONG TAILED MALE 
HUMMIN G-B I R D. 




American Cemetery. 485 

bluish gloss, and gorgeous emerald green, which irradiate from this 
winged jewel. 

The males are among the most belligerent of creatures, — rarely 
meeting without having terrible combats 

The city is not, however, so much distinguished for its frequen- 
tation by humming-birds as its bay is celebrated as a " whaling- 
ground." To "fish for whales" is a regular 
business at Bahia, and nearly every week, 
from the numerous terraces, admiring- 
thousands can gaze upon the stirring ex- 
citement of capturing these monsters of 
the deep. Why they frequent this port 
I do not know, unless their peculiar food 
abound in its waters. If we descend 
through lime-tree hedges to the Rio Ver- 
melho, we may have an opportunity 
(besides seeing the fixtures for extracting 
oil) of witnessing the triumphant arrival 
of the dead leviathan. Hundreds of TR0CHILUS P0LYTMUS 
people — the colored especially — throng 

around to witness the monster's dying struggles, and to procure 
portions of his flesh, which they cook and eat. Yast quantities of 
this flesh are cooked in the streets and sold by quitandeiras. 
Numbers of swine also feast upon the carcass of the whale; and 
all who are not specially discriminating in their selection of pork 
in the market, during the season of these fisheries, are liable 
{nolens volens) to get a taste of something "very like a whale." 
This whale-fishery was once the greatest in the world. At the 
close of the seventeenth century, it was rented by the Crown for 
thirty thousand dollars annually. 

From the Eio Yermelho we ascend by a winding path to the 
Victoria Hill, passing en route the English and American cemeteries. 
The latter is the only burial-ground in Brazil belonging to the 
citizens of the Union, and our country has long been greatly 
indebted to the courtesy of English consuls for suitable places of 
interment for natives of the United States. This cemetery is the 
result of private generosity, and especially of the energy and 
liberal subscriptions of Mr. Gillmer. It is, however, neither just 



486 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

nor reasonable that he should bear the whole burden. In vain has 
he appealed to our Government for aid in keeping up this resting- 
place for our country's dead; and the result is, that, no allowance 
being granted, the cemetery is in a sad condition. The policy of 
Great Britain is noble in this respect. Everywhere she erects 
chapels and provides cemeteries for her subjects; and, though 
necessarily the United States cannot recognise any connection 
between Church and State, yet a decent place for the burial, of the 
dead in foreign countries is a matter of common humanity, which 
demands immediate attention from Government. I have known 
parents in the United States who would have given thousands if 
they could only know the spot where rested the remains of beloved 
sons who, dying in hospitals, were thrust into the common receptacle 
for those whose country had not made provision of a cemetery. 

On the Victoria Hill may be found the finest gardens that Bahia 
affords, the most enchanting walks, and the most ample shade. 
Here, too, are the best houses, the best air, the best water, and the 
best society. The walls of two ancient and extensive forts also 
add much to the romance and historical interest of the place. 
With its magnificent prospect of blue water and verdant isles, it 
is a spot that combines an external beauty of the rarest quality. 
It was here that Henry Martyn, who incidentally touched at this 
port on his passage to India more than half a century ago, sighed 
and sung, — 

"O'er the gloomy hills of darkness 
Look, my soul; be still, and gaze." 

That the moral aspect of the place has not undergone any very 
great change (unless it be in diminished bigotry and greater indif- 
ference) is not to be presumed, as no causes have been at work 
that contemplated such a change. Everywhere there are still 
evidences which give point to the remark of Martyn: — "Crosses 
there are in abundance; but when shall the doctrines of the 
cross be held up?" 

I looked upon no portion of Brazil with greater interest than 
those walks, gardens, chapels, and convents visited by Henry 
Martyn. The Hospital for Lepers, and the chapel where he gently 
and lovingly, yet firmly, uttered his protest against corrupt religion. 



Henry Martyn in Bahia. 



487 



are still standing: the latter, however, is no longer in use. The 
pepper-plantation is torn up, but the clove-trees of which he speaks 
are still nourishing. Some of the convents which he entered are 
now tenantless of their monkish dwellers; for in some respects a 
better day has dawned upon Brazil, and many of these huge build- 
ings, once given up to thriftless, indolent, and vicious orders, are 
now used for colleges, lyceums, libraries, and hospitals. The con- 
vent where the future missionary to Persia alone, as the sun was 
setting and the cloisters were darkened, taught, with Yulgate in 




A CHAPEL VISITED BY HENRY MARTYN. 



hand, "the faith once delivered to the saints" to the curious and 
benighted friars, still lifts its whitened walls, — walls which heard 
his teachings and the prayers which he whispered for the blessing 
of a pure gospel to descend upon Brazil. Have Henry Martyn' s 
prayers been forgotten before the Lord of Hosts? We love to 
regard the petitions of the early Huguenots at Bio de Janeiro, 
those of the faithful missionaries of the Beformed Church of Hol- 
land at Pernambuco, and the prayers of Henry Martyn at Bahia, 
as not lost, but as having already descended, and as still to descend, 
in rich blessings upon Brazil. 

My intercourse with Bev. Mr. Edge, the English chaplain, was 
exceedingly pleasant. He was a Cambridge man, and one of en- 
larged and catholic views. The chapel was better filled on the 



488 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Sabbath than any other that I saw in Brazil. In a ramble with 
him, I sketched, under a burning sun, the chapel above, which was 
near the country-seat mentioned by Martyn where he first saw the 
clove and the pepper. That first visit of Henry Martyn in the 
country, away from the house of Antonio Jose Correa, I believe to 
ha^e been where the Hospital of Montserrat is now situated. 

The day was beautifully clear, and we rode over a long, well- 
paved street called the Calgado, which reaches quite into the 
country. In the outer suburbs the cocoanut-palm grows in great 
profusion, and the jaca-tree waves its green, glistening foliage 
above the infinite variety of vegetation which adorns this Southern 
land. We passed the Carmelite Convent and went as far as the 




N.SENHORA DE MONTSERRAT 



road which leads to the Fever Hospital : here we descended and 
walked to the tongue of land called Montserrat, upon which are 
picturesque fortifications, a row of summer-houses. — that of Mr. 



View of Bahia from Montserrat. 489 

Gillmer distinguished by the American flag, — and on the extreme 
point a small Eoman Catholic chapel, more than two hundred years 
old, above the doorway of which I deciphered this inscription : — 
11 A Virgem foi concebida sem peccado original''' Why Eomanists 
should cling with such tenacity to the dogma of the immaculate 
conception, which contains nothing essential to salvation, I could 
never understand. 

We visited the w^ell-appointed hospital near by, which is intended 
particularly for those who have been smitten with the yellow fever; 
but its attacks have been very light for the last few years, though 
the cholera, in 1855, was quite fatal to the blacks and to the mixed 
population generally. Yet, when we consider that, out of a popula- 
tion of nearly a million in the province, but nine thousand fell 
before the cholera, the percentage is small compared with that of 
New York in 1833, and almost nothing when compared with the 
ravages of the same disease at St. Louis in 1849 and '50. In the 
spring of 1857, the journals of the United States teemed with the 
accounts of the fell swoop of the yellow fever at Eio de Janeiro, 
where for a short time twenty-five persons per diem died. It can be 
proved by actual statistics that no city of equal population in the 
United States has so good a sanitary condition as Eio de Janeiro. 

The view of Bahia from Montserrat is truly magnificent. The 
curving lines of whitened buildings — the one upon the heights, the 
other upon the water's edge — everywhere separated by a broad, 
rich belt of green, itself here and there dotted w T ith houses, — the 
fortress, the shipping, the white-capped waves, over which the 
whale-boats are pursuing their gigantic sport, — the distant isle of 
Itaparica and the blue ocean beyond, — all form a picture which at 
the time fills one with exhilarating delight, and ever after dwells 
in the cabinet of memory a choice and beautiful picture. There 
are few cities that can present a single view of more imposing 
beauty than does Bahia to a person beholding it from a suitable 
distance on the water. Even Eio de Janeiro can hardly be cited 
for such a comparison. The capital excels in the endless variety of 
its beautiful suburbs; but in the Archiepiscopal City beauty is con 
centrated and presented at one view. In Eio, for pleasant abodes, 
one section competes with another, and each offers some ground 
of preference; but in Bahia, the superiorities seem all to be united 



490 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

in one section, leaving the foreigner no room for doubt that the 
focus is the Victoria Hill. 

Beneath its brow, just on the edge of the bay, is a stately resi- 
dence embowered with cool fruit arid flowering trees, where foun- 
tains sweetly murmur in cadence with the musical rippling of the 
waters which break upon the neighboring beach. It may, how- 
ever, distress some of my readers to know that this beautiful place 
is a snuff-factory, where the celebrated area preta is made which 
enjoys a monopoly in Brazil. Snuff-making and snuff-taking were 
found among the aborigines; but this particular snuff was the 
invention of a Swiss from Neufchatel, and from which he acquired 
a large fortune. By his will, after enriching his relatives, he left 
liberal sums for the endowment of hospitals for his native canton, 
and also for benevolent purposes in Bahia. The main establishment 
(there are branches in Bio and Pernambuco) is under the superin- 
tendence of M. Barrelet, of Neufchatel, in whose agreeable family 
I had that intercourse so sweet to the Christian in a foreign land. 

Common-school education at Bahia is upon the best footing in 
the Empire, and the Bahians take great pride in showing the 
statistics of their various institutions. Young Dr. Fairbanks ac- 
companied me one morning through the chief hospital and the 
medical college. In the latter I found that there were nearly three 
hundred students attending the lectures. Some of the professors — 
both natives and foreigners — are men of talent and erudition, and 
the course of instruction is probably equal to that of any medical 
school on the Western continent. In the library connected with 
the institution I saw some very large and very costly volumes on 
anatomy in the Bussian language. They had been recently sent 
out from St. Petersburg, and were in every respect very finely 
gotten up. 

Near by is the old Cathedral, an immense edifice, which has 
been constructed with great expense, and is superior to any church 
in Brazil, unless it may be the unfinished Candalaria of Bio. In a 
wing of this building, from which may be enjoyed a very com- 
manding view of the harbor, is located the public library. It con- 
tains many thousand volumes, a large portion of which are in 
French ; and it also possesses some most valuable manuscripts. 

In my many visits to Bahia there was no public institution which 



National Gala-Days. 491 

I went to with more pleasure than this library. Amongst many old 
and rare books, I was deeply interested in a large and well-illustrated 
volume shown me by the librarian, which was an account of the 
u Dutch in Brazil," and was published at Amsterdam before the 
middle of the seventeenth century. 

In the immediate neighborhood of the Cathedral are the archi- 
episcopal palace and seminary, and the old Jesuit College, now 
used as a military hospital. The latter building, together with 
the Church of JSTossa Senhora da Concei§ao, (its steeples are seen on 
the right of the large view of Bahia,) on the Praya, may almost be 
said to have been built in Europe : at least, the principal stone- 
work for them was cut, fitted, and numbered on the other side of 
the Atlantic, and imported ready for immediate erection, The 
President's palace is also but a short distance from this locality. 
It is a substantial building, of ancient date, located upon one side 
of an open square. 

The Presidents of provinces are appointed by the Emperor, and 
his choice is by no means confined to the particular province to be 
governed. Hence Brazilian statesmen are liable to many changes 
of residence : but it may be that there is wisdom in this, for it has 
been said that the selections are thus made of strangers to the pro- 
vince so "that the influence of family connections and personal 
friendships may not prove temptations to partiality in the distribu- 
tion of gifts and emoluments under their control." The President 
is, in fact, a Viceroy w 7 ith a body-guard; and it seems to me that 
the appointing-power by which he is elevated to office is one of 
the most conservative elements in the Brazilian Constitution. 

My colleague was at Bahia on the anniversary of the Emperor's 
birth, and his felicitous description of that scene will convey an 
idea of similar celebrations throughout the whole Empire : — 

" The Bahians were preparing to celebrate the birthday of their youthful Em- 
peror, the 2d of December. This anniversary is, throughout the nation, a favorite 
one among the several dias de grande gala, or political holidays. Of these the Bra- 
zilians celebrate six. The 1st of January heads the list with New Year's compli- 
ments to His Majesty. The 25th of March commemorates the adoption of the 
Constitution. The 7th of April is the anniversary of the Emperor's accession to 
the throne. The 3d of May is the day for opening the sessions of the National 
Assembly. The 7th of September is the anniversary of the Declaration of the 
national Independence ; while the last in the catalogue is the 2d of December, the 
Emperor's birthday. On all these days, except the 3d of May, His Majesty holds 



492 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

court in the palace at Rio. Presidents of provinces, as the special representatives 
of the Crown, follow the example of their sovereign, by holding lev6e in the several 
provincial capitals ; but they do not presume to receive Imperial honors in their 
own person. The place of honor in their sola de cortejo is always allotted to the 
portrait of His Majesty. Near by, as the special representative of the throne, the 
President takes his place, accompanied perchance by the bishop. Before these, in 
measured step, pass the dignitaries invited, in the order of their rank and distinc- 
tion, paying their obeisance severally to the Imperial portrait. [This ridiculous 
custom, which is a cross between the Chinese bowing to the picture of their 
monarch and the reverence to R. Catholic saints, ought to be abolished. — J. C. F.] 

" It was no ordinary celebration that was to take place at this time. During the 
recent session of the National Assembly at Rio de Janeiro, it had been more than 
intimated that the Bahians generally were doubtful in their loyalty. Not relishing 
such insinuations, they had resolved to make a display on this occasion which, 
from its unexampled magnificence, should not only demonstrate their fidelity to the 
throne, but should throw even the metropolis into the shade. In addition to the 
usual cortejo, there were to be ceremonies for three successive days and illumina- 
tions for as many nights. On the first day there was to be a grand Te Deum, with 
a sermon ; on the second, a military ball at the palace ; and on the third, an un- 
rivalled exhibition of fireworks, on Victoria Hill, at the Campo de S. Pedro. 

" The 2d of December came. It was not clad in the frosty robes of a Northern 
winter, with whistling winds and drifted snow at its heels. Nay, the North is not 
farther from the South than is the idea many a reader has pictured in his imagina- 
tion at the bare mention of December, from the reality of the day in question. 
Preceded by but a brief interval of twilight, the sun threw upward his mellowest 
rays, burnishing the wreathed clouds of the eastern horizon. Presently from his 
bed of ocean he rose majestic on his vertical pathway, looking down on one of the 
fairest scenes nature ever presented to the eye of man. The boundless expanse of 
the Atlantic on the east, — the broad and beautiful bay on the south and west, with 
its palm-crested islands and circling mountains, — were but an appropriate foreground 
to the lovely picture of the city herself, reposing like a queen of beauty amid the 
embowering groves of the proud eminences over which her mansions, her temples, 
and her lordly domes were scattered. 

" The day was ushered in by the roar of cannon from the several batteries and 
the vessels-of-war. From that moment might be seen the shipping of every nation 
in the harbor, gayly decked with flags, signals, and streamers of unnumbered 
hues. 

" Being much occupied in the morning, I did not reach the Cathedral in time to 
listen to the discourse which preceded the Te Deum, which terminated at three 
o'clock p.m. At this moment there was a discharge of rockets in front of the 
Cathedral and a general salute of artillery from the guns of the forts and shipping. 
The scene was now transferred to the Government Palace, the old residence of the 
Viceroys, where the cortejo took place. At the same time, the troops of the city, 
to the number of two thousand five hundred, were paraded in the Palace Square 
and in the streets leading from the Cathedral to that place. These, together with 
all the other pi'incipal streets, had been adorned by silk and damask hangings from 
the windows, — the national colors, yellow and green, being most frequent and most 
admired. The illumination at night throughout the city, but specially at the Pa*- 
seio Publico, was, of all other parts of the celebration, most interesting to me. 

44 This public promenade of Bahia is located on the boldest and most commanding 



The Public Promenade of Bahia. 493 

height of the whole town. One of its sides looks toward the ocean, and another 
up the bay, while nothing but an iron railing guards the visitor against the danger 
of falling over the steep precipice by which its whole front is bordered. For 
airiness, this locality is not even surpassed by the Battery of New York, while its 
sublime elevation throws the last-mentioned place into an unfavorable contrast. 
The space allotted to the Battery is greater, but the variety and richness of the 
trees and flowers of the Passeio Publico of Bahia fully compensate for its deficiency 
in this respect. Here it was, under the dark, dense foliage of the mangueiras, the 
lime-trees, the bread-fruit, the cashew, and countless other trees of tropical 
growth, that thousands of lights were blazing. Most of these hung in long lines 
of transparent globes, — so constricted as to radiate severally the principal hues of 
the rainbow, — and waved gracefully in the evening breeze as it swept along, laden 
with the fragrance of opening flowers. 

" The calmness of a summer evening always throws an enchantment over the 
feelings ; but there was a peculiar richness in this scene. Not only was the ob- 
server delighted with the varied and skilful exhibitions of artificial light around 
him, but, lifting his eyes above them to the vaulted empyrean, he might there gaze 
upon the handiwork of the Almighty, so gloriously displayed in the bright constel- 
lations of the Southern sky. 

" The wealth, fashion, and beauty of the Bahians never boasted a more felicitous 
display than was mutually furnished and witnessed by the thousands that thronged 
this scene. What an occasion was here offered to the mind disposed to philosophize 
on man! From hoary age to playful youth, no condition of life or style of 
character was unrepresented. The warrior and the civilian, the man of title, the 
millionnaire and the slave, all mingled in the common rejoicings. Never, espe- 
cially, had the presence of females in such numbers been observed to grace a scene 
of public festivity. Mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters, who seldom were per- 
mitted to leave the domestic circle, except in their visits to the morning mass, hung 
upon the arms of their several protectors, and gazed with undissembled wonder at 
the seemingly magic enchantments before and around them. The dark and flowing 
tresses, the darker and flashing eyes, of a Brazilian belle, together with her some- 
times darkly-shaded cheek, show off with greater charms from not being hidden 
under the arches of a fashionable bonnet. The graceful folds of her mantilla, or 
of the rich gossamer veil which is sometimes its substitute, wreathed in some inde- 
scribable manner over the broad, high, and fancy-wrought shell that adorns her 
head, can scarcely be improved by any imitation of foreign fashions. Nevertheless, 
the forte of a Brazilian lady is in her guitar, and the soft modinhas she sings in 
accompaniment to its tones. 

" On the marble monument erected in memory of Dom John's visit to Bahia 
illuminated forms were fitted, and, on this occasion, displayed, in large and bril- 
liant letters, extravagant praise to D. Pedro II. 

"In another quarter, upon a high parapet overlooking the sea and bay, had 
been constructed a fancy pavilion, in the style of an Athenian temple. In front 
of this, supported by the central columns, had been placed a full-length portrait 
of His Majesty. In the saloons of this palacete were stationed bands of music, 
surrounded by ladies and dignitaries of the province. The portrait of the 
Emperor was concealed by a curtain until a given hour of the evening, when the 
President made his appearance, and, suddenly drawing it up, gave successive 
vivas to His Majesty, the Imperial family, the Brazilian nation, and the peoplo 
of Bahia, — all of which were responded to with deafening acclamations from the 



494 . Brazil and the Brazilians. 

multitude around, while the heavens above were resplendent with the discharge 
of a thousand rockets. 

"On Wednesday, the festivities of the great national anniversary terminated with 
a pyrotechnic display. The Passeio Publico was illuminated more brilliantly than 
before, and all the gardens surrounding the Campo de San Pedro were lighted up 
with torches and bonfires. A large platform had been erected in the centre of this 
square, upon which the Emperor's portrait was again exhibited, — the Archbishop 
assisting the President to roll up the curtain from before it at the appointed hour. 
The concourse of people was vastly greater than it had been on any previous evening. 
The weather was without interruption serene and beautiful, but neither the plan 
nor execution of the fireworks deserved high commendation. Yet all the bustle and 
crowd passed away, as on the previous nights, without the slightest disturbance. 
This fact was certainly a happy comment upon the orderly disposition of the people. 
I witnessed no funcgao in Brazil which was, on the whole, more interesting to me 
than this. Its superiority over the exhibitions of the usual religious festivals was 
manifest. In fact, the simple circumstance that it was a civic celebration, and 
destitute of any religious pretensions, went far to commend it to the admiration 
of any one who had often been shocked by those incongruous medleys of the 
solemn and ridiculous which are by many thought essential to the 'pomp and 
splendor' of religious anniversaries." 

Away from the pretty Victoria Hill, in a portion of the lower 
town, the stranger, among other curiosities, may see what is called 
by its right name, — Sifabrica de imagens, (image-factory.) It is not 
my intention to enlarge on worship in this city, for it is the same 
as throughout the Empire. Saints, crucifixes, and every species 
of the ghostly paraphernalia of Eomanism, are here exhibited in 
the shops, with a profusion which I nowhere else saw, indicating 
that the traffic in these articles is more flourishing than in other 
parts. It is not in name only that Bahia enjoys the ecclesiastical 
supremacy of Brazil. It is the see of the only archbishop in the 
Empire. Its churches exceed in number and in sumptuousness 
those of any other city; and its convents are said to contain mora 
friars and more nuns than those of all the Empire beside. 

But I cannot pass over this subject without referring to Saint 
Antonio de Argoim, who seems to be the favorite patron of the 
calendar in Brazil. His image is in the Franciscan Convent, and 
his history is as follows: — 

In 1595, a fleet, under the direction of some Lutherans, sailed from France, with 
the intention of capturing Bahia. On their way they attacked Argoim, a small 
island on the coast of Africa belonging to the Portuguese, and, after having com- 
mitted various depredations, carried off, among other sacred things, an image of St. 
Anthony. 

Once more at sea, the fleet was attacked with storms, which sunk several of the 
vessels. Those that escaped this fate were assaulted with a pestilence, during' 



The Miracle Explained. 495 

which, through pure spite toward the Roman Catholic religion, the aforesaid image 
was thrown overboard, having been first hacked with cutlasses. The vessel that 
carried it put into a port of Sergipe, and all on board were taken prisoners. These 
men were sent to Bahia, and the first object they saw on the praia was the very 
same image they had so maltreated. It had been cast up by the waters to 
confront them ! 

A worthy citizen obtained the image and placed it in his private chapel ; but 
when the Franciscans learned what a miracle had happened, they demanded the 
image, and carried it in solemn procession to their convent. So great was its fame 
now, that King Philip ordered the establishment of a grand procession in memory 
of these events. And, strange to tell, popularity did for the image what the 
bitter hostility of the heretics could not do. Its friends, the friars, became ashamed 
of its old and ugly appearance, and laid it aside to make room for a more gaudy 
and fashionable one, which was christened in its name and presumed to be the 
inheritor of its virtues. Having thus been introduced to the citizens of Bahia, 
St. Anthony was now enlisted as a soldier in the fortress near the barra bearing 
his name. 

In this capacity he received regular pay until he was promoted to the rank of 
captain by the Governor, Rodrigo da Costa. The order for his promotion lies 
before me, and is so curious that I give the concluding portion. After referring to 
a vow by the camara municipal, which had been unfulfilled, the Governor says, — 

"Wherefore, and because we now more than ever need the favors of the afore- 
mentioned saint, both on account of the present wars in Portugal, and of those which 
may yet happen in Bahia, the said Chamber has besought me, in commemoration 
of the afore -mentioned vow, to assign to the said glorious St. Anthony the rank and 
pay of a captain in the fortress, where he has hitherto only received the pay of a 
common soldier. 

" In obedience to this request, and subject to the approval of the King, I there- 
fore assign to the glorious St. Anthony the rank of captain in the said fortress, and 
order that the solicitor of the Franciscan Convent be authorized to draw, in his 
behalf, the regular amount of a captain's pay. 

"Rodrigo da Costa. 
"Bahia, July 16, 1705." 

Now, the miracle of S. Antonio was truly notable. But the in- 
vestigations of modern science, and a little more experience, have 
cleared up the mystery. "While conversing with a gentleman, not 
a Eomanist, at Bahia, about S. Antonio's singular voyage to the 
coast of Brazil, he gravely, to my surprise, stated that it was 
without doubt a bona fide account that the hacked image had floated 
to the Western world : all could be explained by natural laws. A 
few days afterward he gave me the following, which will doubt- 
less be a novel confirmation of Lieutenant Maury's theories in 
regard to ocean winds and currents. 

"It is not at all surprising that, in those days of gross credulity and ignorance, 
the appearance of the image of Santo Antonio on this coast should have been con- 
sidered as a miracle, performed expressly for the purpose of bringing to condign 



496 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

punishment the 'pirates' for the sacrilegious act they had committed. Of the 
appearance of the image on the beach, and its having floated from Africa, no rea- 
sonable doubt can be entertained ; and, in proof of its entire probability, the follow- 
ing remarkable coincidence may be presented : — 

"About fifteen years ago, the late Visconde do Rio Vermelho, a gentleman of the 
utmost veracity, and owner of an extensive fishery on this coast a few miles to the 
north of the harbor of Bahia, near Itapican, declared to the writer of the present 
lines that the figure-head of a vessel, somewhat injured by fire, was brought to his 
residence from the beach (where it had been stranded) and placed on his grounds. 
Shortly after, a painter from the city, engaged in painting the house, on seeing the 
figure immediately recognised it as one he had painted, some months previously, 
for a vessel which had afterward sailed for the coast of Africa, and of whose safety 
great fears were entertained, no news having been received from her. It was sub- 
sequently ascertained that the vessel in question had been burned to the water's 
edge, on the coast of Africa, — the figure-head, singularly enough, having brought 
the first tidings of the disaster. 

"It is likely that the figure-head, being, of light cedar, and the pedestal to which 
it was attached, of hard wood with bolts and fastenings of iron, may have floated 
in a nearly upright position, thus presenting a broader surface for the action of 
the northeast trade-winds, and materially accelerating its passage across the 
Atlantic." 

At Eio de Janeiro S. Antonio has long enjoyed the position and 
received the pay of a colonel in the regular army. How he can 
appropriate his salary to himself is difficult for us to understand; 
but it may throw some light on the subject to state that it passes 
through the hands of his terrestrial delegates, — the Franciscan 
monks, — and by a proper application you may see the accounts 
and receipts for his saintship's washing, clothing, &c. 

Traditions respecting St. Thomas's visit to Brazil are very 
common in different parts of the country. Many of them were 
coined by the Jesuits, and they have passed currently among a 
credulous people. Observe the logic with which the renowned 
Simon de Vasconcellos proves that Saint Thomas, certainly, must 
have been in South America. 

"With what show of reason," says the Jesuit, "could the American Indian be 
damned, if the gospel had never been preached to him ? He who sent his apostles 
into all the world could not mean to leave America — which is nearly half of it — out 
of the question. The gospel, thereto: '3, must have been preached there in obedience 
to this command. But by whom was it preached ? It could not have been by either 
of the other apostles, Paul, Peter, John, &c. St. Thomas, therefore, must have 
been the man!" 

]STo wonder the Jesuits were able to map out his travels from 
Brazil to Peru, to find traces of his pastoral staff, crosses erected 
by him, and inscriptions in Greek and Hebrew written by hia 



The Commerce of Bahia. 



497 



hand. They even brought his sandals and mantle unconsumed 
out of the volcano of Arequipa. I suppose it was either in going 
or returning that he visited England and preached under the 
Glastonbury Thorn. 

The commerce of Bahia suffered to some extent at the suppres- 
sion of the slave-trade; but it is slowly advancing in legitimate 
channels. The culture of tobacco and of coffee are both increasing. 
Railways are projected into the interior, and steamers (not to men- 
tion the Government lines) run to the coast-towns in Sergipe and 
Alagoas on the north, and nearly to Espirito Santo on the south. 




DARING NAVIGATION. 



Sr. Martin, former President of the province, deserves great credit 
for his advancement of agriculture, while Senhor Lacerda, co-ope- 
rating with Messrs. Carson & Gillmer, has done much toward 
advancing the manufacturing-interest. The finest factory in all 
Brazil — perhaps South America — was erected according to the 
plans and under the superintendence of Colonel Carson, an Ame- 
rican of daring energy and genius. During my stay in the province 
of Bahia, one of the pleasantest excursions was my visit to Va- 
lency, the seat of the factory. 

It was a cheerful party that accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Gillmer; 
i and the day was so bright that our trip was most agreeable over the 

bay through a fleet of little whale-boats that were in hot pursuit 

82 



498 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of their spouting game. There were a number of Brazilian gen- 
tlemen on board, who, finding the American Consul making an 
excursion, came and placed their houses at the disposition of him- 
self and companions. About noon we passed the light-house on the 
Moro de S. Paulo, — a beautiful structure, built under the superin- 
tendence of Colonel Carson. We steamed up the river Una to 
Valenca, where the colonel joined us, and we then re-embarked in 
long " dug-outs" in order to ascend the stream to the fabrica. 

In a few moments we were at the foot of roaring rapids, upon 
the borders of which the genius of this enterprising American had 
erected a saw-mill, a window-sash factory, and a planing-machine; 
in addition to which he had constructed a lock, — the first in Brazil, 
— through which our canoes passed: In the sash-factory we saw 
the chief workman, Mr. Foster, from Worcester, Massachusetts. 
This establishment belonged to Dr. Bernardini, a Brazilian LL.D., 
who left the judge's bench to enjoy the more lucrative position of 
a manufacturer. At Br. B.'s order, a slave brought down, with 
capital skill, several saw-logs from above the falls. The expertness 
with which he balanced himself and guided in perfect safety his 
clumsy craft was truly admirable, and called forth from our party 
loud huzzas. The manner in which he managed the log illustrates 
the descent of the rapids of the Upper Amazonian affluents. 

We resumed our route, passing up the narrow stream. Upon 
the banks were numerous negresses and mulatresses engaged in 
washing. In looking upon them I thought, for the first time in 
my life, of the nuisance of clothing in matters of manual labor. 
The women (whose glistening rounded limbs w T ere as smooth as 
those of the Greek Slave) were naked to the waist, and the chil- 
dren — some not far from their teens — were in puris naturalibus. 

We arrived at the factory, or, rather, at the factories; for, cluster- 
ing around the large fabrica, whose white w r alls stand out in bold 
relief from its background of green, are machine-shops, foundries, 
&c. &c. The rattle of the looms, the cheerful smile of the merry 
girls, and the indescribable din and buzz of a factory, made me 
almost imagine myself near Lowell. The operatives, men and 
women, are mostly from the orphan-asylum and foundling-hos- 
pitals. They are under good discipline, and compare in morals 
very favorably with those of the best-conducted factories in our 



Cotton-Factory at Valenca. 



499 



own land. In the foundry I saw the whole operation of modelling, 
moulding, and finishing, performed by negroes. The foreman of 
the foundry is a Brazilian negro, trained by Mr. Carson, and the 
most intricate machinery is here manufactured. 

Extensive buildings were still going up to facilitate the manu- 
facture of cotton cloths, which are of finer quality than those 
turned out at St. Alexio ; and it is gratifying to state that this 
factory can scarcely meet the demand, and, doubtless, in a few 
years Messrs. Lacerda & Co. will be amply rewarded for their im- 
mense outlay. I here found a millwright (Mr. E. A. Eandall) from 
Scituate, K.I.* 




THE VALENCA FACTORY. 



After a sumptuous and truly tropical dinner, the gentleman- 
portion of our party sallied forth for an excursion, the end of 
which was to find a suitable place to sketch the immense factory. 



* It seemed truly out of place, in this distant corner of the world, to read the 
names of machinists of the United States, whose workmanship was here benefiting 
a people speaking another tongue. The following are some of the names which 
I copied from inscriptions on the machinery: — C. Lewis, New York, drilling-lathe; 
D. Dicks, Hadley Falls, Mass., antifriction press or punch; S. Jones, Boston, im- 
proved shears ; C. F. Pike, Providence, R.I., iron-planer ; J. & S. W. Putnam & Co., 
Fitchburg, Mass., bolt-cutter. There were other machines, by J. Peck, Coventry 
Factory, (Anthony's,) R.I., and by Thayer, Houghton & Co., Worcester. Mass. 



500 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The point de vue was well chosen ; but each of us carried away a 
piece of the foreground, in an innumerable quantity of garapatos f 
which small insects — resembling very diminutive spiders — clung 
to our garments with a most tenacious hold. Each one of these 
little fellows produces a boil ; and, in some parts of Brazil, cattle 
in a long dry season — the insect cannot survive a drenching — 
have sometimes perished by the sores thus created. I hastened to 
the house, plunged into a bath of hot water, and then was rubbed 
down with a pint of rum, — more of the article, by three gills, 
than ever before had been applied to my physique, either exter- 
nally or internally. This effectually stopped the depredations 
which had begun. 

Early the next morning, Mr. Eandall and I went to the spot 
where two of our countrymen were buried. Three Americans 
came out together, and he alone was left. He feelingly recounted 
to me the circumstances of their death as we passed up a narrow 
path to their resting-place. The graves were under the deep shade 
of two jaca-trees, and over them small obelisks had been erected. 
It was to me a solemn scene in that early morning hour. 

After breakfast, Mr. Gillmer, Mr. Pointdexter, a young Pole, and 
myself, went up the river to see an upper waterfall. The shrubs, 
the dead stumps, and the lofty trees on the banks seemed bloom : 
ing with orchidaceous plants. Bich cabinet-woods also abound in 
the forest. At Bahia, the Visconde Fiaz and Senhor Yiana (brother 
of the chief collector of customs at Bio) showed me, at their re- 
sidences, some of the finest specimens of furniture, made from 
native woods, that I ever saw. We finally reached the fall, which 
resembles a miniature Niagara. The river Una here pours over a 
ledge of rocks in such volume that it has been computed there is 
enough water-power to drive one hundred factories of five thou- 
sand spindles each. 

On our return from our visit to the fabrica, we accepted the 
hospitality of Senhor Bernardini, who gave us a splendid dinner. 

We were accompanied to the city by Colonel Carson, whom 1 
found a most interesting man of intelligence and common sense. 
His life had been a wandering one. He came out to Brazil to 
die; but the delicious climate made him a new man, and he had 
truly "gone ahead," — building saw- mills, light-houses, factories, 



Cottons from "York Mills," Saco, Maine. 501 

and had been abroad, for the Provincial Government, to investi- 
gate the sugar- plantations of the West Indies and the States on 
the Mexican G-ulf, for the purpose of promoting the growth of 
sugar in Bahia. He gave me much information concerning the 
trade that might be between the United States and Bahia. In that 
second port of Brazil we have been annually losing ground. But 
many articles — for instance, cottons, hardware, leather, soaps, &c. 
&c. — might be introduced with advantage. The specimens of 
leather from J. Chadwick, Esq., of Newark, — the same found in 
the shoes of Mr. Boynton, — and the samples of cutlery and carving 
sent out by Mr. Garside, also of Newark, attracted, by the excel- 
lence of their quality, much attention at Rio ; and the same may 
be said of the rope and rope-yarn manufactured at the Excelsior 
Works by Mr. H. Webber & Co. All of these articles, and many 
others, if properly managed, might be exported to Brazil, whose 
trade would really be worth as much as all the remainder of South 
America if we only had it in our possession. Formerly, large 
quantities of common drillings were exported from the United 
States to Bahia, from the York Mills, Saco, Maine, and were held in 
great favor by the Brazilians. This article was actually imitated 
at Manchester, England, and sent out to Bahia with the stamp, 
"York Mills, Saco, Maine," and sold as such. But, though well 
sized and fair-looking, it soon proved worthless and fell into dis- 
repute, and the Brazilians to this day believe that the Yankees 
cheated them. In England, common cottons cannot be made 
equal to those manufactured in the United States, because the 
price of the raw article is too high, and the best cotton is con- 
sumed for fine goods, and only the "waste" for the coarser; 
whereas, in the American factories as good a raw article is used 
for the coarse cloth as for the finer textures. 

Brazil annually consumes many million yards of cotton cloths, 
both plain and printed. She only produces about three million 
yards : the rest must be supplied from abroad. We honor fair 
and honorable competition; we admire the perseverance of John 
Bull in all that is good, and would have our own merchants 
imitate the latter quality and that only, and endeavor to have at 
least a fair share in the trade with Brazil, so that we may not 
annually have a cash-bill of fifteen millions of dollars against us 



502 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

when our productions are needed by the growing Empire of the 
South. Let our far-seeing commercial men turn their attention in 
this direction, and, by judicious measures, secure a foothold. 

Just after nightfall our little steamer was again at the wharf, 
and all returned home, delighted with the excursion to Yalenca. 

Before leaving the subject of Bahia, it becomes me to mention — 
without entering into particulars — that my Bible-labors there, as 
elsewhere throughout the Empire, were prospered ; and I pray 
that the seed sown, where were Henry Martyn's first missionary 
efforts on foreign ground, may be prospered by Him who opencth 
and no man shutteth, and who takes care of His own word. 

Note for 1879. — I profit by this space to mention that some of the most import- 
ant explorations have been made since 1858, — as that of the province of Ceara, 
under the direction of Srs. Frei Allamao, Capanema, Lagos, and others, consti- 
tuting a scientific commission. Several important rivers have been explored and 
mapped. The Purus, that large Amazonian affluent, is perhaps more unknown 
than the river Nile. Sr. Herculano Ferreira e Penha, when President of Para, 
called particular attention to this river in one of his annual messages, (since 
translated by Dr. Spruce, the Upper-Amazonian traveller, and published by the 
Royal Geographical Society.) In 1862, Major J. M. da S. Coutinho, in the steamer 
Pirajd, ascended this river, taking soundings, &c, for seven hundred miles. This 
is remarkable ; for the affluents of the Amazon are generally interrupted in their 
navigation at a comparatively short distance from their embouchures. In the 
preceding chapter I have noted the attempt to overcome the obstacles of naviga- 
tion between Brazil and Bolivia, and I here mention the important exploring 
services of engineer Franz Keller Leuzinger. An English explorer, Mr. Chandless, 
June 15, 1865, reached even a higher point on the Purus than Coutinho. Want of 
space prevents my giving an extended account of other labors by Professors 
Agassiz, Hart, Orton, Coutinho, Halfeld (whose survey of the S. Francisco is a 
magnum opus), and Dr. Couto de Magalhaes, who, in 1863, descended the Araguaya 
from near Goyaz to Para, and Franz Keller Leuzinger. 

In Bahia I met a quartette of scientific men to whom the savcuits of England, 
France, and America are greatly indebted ; viz., the late Dr. Wucherer, of the 
Medical College of Bahia, who has made many contributions to the British 
Museum, department of Natural History ; M. Brunet, a Frenchman, who has ex- 
plored the Amazon, the San Francisco, and the Parnahiba ; Rev. Dr. Nicholay, 
the physical geographer, then rector of the English Chapel at Bahia, who has 
amassed important geographical data in this portion of Brazil ; and Sr. Antonio 
Lacerda, Jr., a native Brazilian, educated in the United States and France, an en- 
thusiastic lover of natural science in general, and well known in Europe and 
America as a most accomplished entomologist. 



CHAPTEE XXV. 

DEPARTURE FROM BAHIA THE VAMPIRE-BAT — HIS MANNER OF ATTACK THU 

BITTEN NEGRO — ANNOYANCES MAGNIFIED — ANACONDAS — ONE THAT SWALLOWED 
A HORSE THE MARMOSET PROVINCE OF ALAGOAZ THE REPUBLIC OF PAL- 
MARES PERNAMBUCO THE AMENITIES OF QUARANTINE-LIFE IMPROVEMENTS 

AT THE RECIFE PECULIARITIES OF PERNAMBUCAN HOUSES — BEAUTIFUL PANO- 
RAMA — VARIOUS DISTRICTS OF THE CITY A BIBLE-CHRISTIAN — EXTRAORDINARY 

FANATICISM OF THE SEBASTIANISTS — COMMERCE OF PERNAMBUCO THE POPULA- 
TION OF THE INTERIOR — THE SERTANEJO AND MARKET-SCENE THE SUGAR AND 

COTTON MART THE JANGADA PARAHIBA DO NORTE NATAL CEARA — THE 

PA VIOLA TEMPERATURE AND PERIODICAL RAINS THE CiTY OF MARANHAM 

JUDGE PETIT'S DESCRIPTION THE MONTARIA — DEPARTURE. 




O the North ! Leav- 
ing the pleasant city of Bahia, we again 
turn our faces toward the Amazon. Our 
Hteamer glides rapidly over a summer sea, and, though we visit 
province after province, we cannot dwell long upon their scenery 
and condition, for in both they are very similar to some of the 
lesser divisions of the Empire which we have already considered. 
The monotony of the voyage is broken up by tinkling guitars, 
merry singing, and eloquent speaking. We have embryo states- 
men on board; military officers with fierce moustaches and high- 

503 



504 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

sounding titles; medical students returning to Sergipe, Alagoaz, 
Pernambuco, and Parahiba ; witty, sallow, dirty sertanejos j black- 
eyed senhoras ; and two or three tonsured, gambling padres. All 
form a fit audience; and the vociferous apoiados, apoiadidissimos, 
encourage the maiden efforts of the orators, and beguile the time 
as we steam along the low coqueiro-lined coast. 

A hazy bank of fog hanging in the distant horizon indicates the 
mouth of the great Eio San Francisco, and the boundary-line 
between the provinces of Sergipe and Alagoaz. Sergipe is thinly 
populated : but in the eastern portion a considerable quantity oi 
sugar and tobacco is cultivated ; while the western districts are 
devoted chiefly to the rearing of cattle. 

In another chapter I have spoken of the annoyances to which 
herds are sometimes subject from the little chigoes. The younger 
portions of the herds have in some places a more formidable enemy 

in the huge vampire-bat. The 
owner of large possessions in the 
northwestern part of Goyaz said 
he could not rear cattle with any 
success or profit, from the havoc 
committed among his calves by 
the winged demons the vam- 
pires. I have often had my own 
horses and mules bled and sucked 
by these sanguinary phyllostomina. 
They abound from Paraguay to 
the Isthmus of Darien ; and the 
reports of early travellers and the figurative language of poets, 
so long discredited, are found to be much nearer the truth than 
the world has believed. Morning after morning have I seen 
beasts of burden, once strong, go staggering, from loss of blood 
drawn during the night by these hideous monsters. In almost 
every instance they had taken the life-current from between the 
shoulders, and, when they had finished their murderous work, the 
stream had for some time continued to flow. The extremities, 
however, are the usual points of attack ; and the ears of a horse, 
the toes of a man, and the comb of a cock, are choice morceaux 
for the display of the vampire's phlebotomizing propensities. 




AMPIRE-BAT. 



The Vampire-Bat. 



505 



The exact manner by which this bat manages to make an inci- 
sion has long been a matter of conjecture and dispute. The 
tongue, which is capable of considerable extension, is furnished at 
its extremity with a number of papillae, which appear to be so 
arranged as to form an organ of suction, and their lips have also 
tubercles symmetrically arranged. These are the organs by which 
it is certain the bat draws the life-blood from man and beast, and 
some have contended that the rough tongue is the instrument em- 
ployed for abrading the skin, so as to enable it the more readily to 
draw its sustenance from the living animal. Others have supposed 
that the vampire used one of its long, sharp, canine teeth to make 
the incision, which is as small as that made by a fine needle. Mr. 
Wallace says that he was twice bitten, — once on the toe, and a 
second time on the tip of the nose. "In neither case," writes that 
explorer, "did I feel any thing, but awoke after the operation was 
completed. The wound is a small round hole, the bleeding of which 
it is very difficult to 
stop. It can hardly be 
a bite, as' that would 
awake the sleeper : it 
seems most probable 
that it is either a 
succession of gentle 
scratches with the 
sharp edge of the 
teeth, gradually wear- 
ing away the skin, or 
a triturating with the 
point of the tongue 
till the same effect is 
produced. My brother 
was frequently bitten 
by them ; and his opi- 
nion was that the bat applied one of its long canine teeth to the 
part, and then flew round and round on that as a centre, till the 
tooth, acting as an awl, bored a small hole, — the wings of the bat 
serving at the same time to fan the patient into a deeper slumber. 
He several times awoke while the bat was at work, and, though 




HEAD OF THE VAMPIRE-BAT, SIZE OF LIFE. 



50(5 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of course the creature immediately flew away, it was his impression 

that the operation was conducted in the manner above described." 

.There is much in the dental arrangement of these phyllostoma to 

make this seem plausible. The molar teeth of the true vampire 

or spectre bat, are of the most carnivorous character, — the first 

being short and almost plain, and the others sharp and cutting 

and terminating in three and four points. Notwithstanding this, 

that most accurate naturalist and observer — Dr. Gardner — is of the 

opinion that it wounds its victim in a manner entirely different 

from the foregoing description. He says that, 

•"Having carefully examined, in many cases, the wounds thus made in horses, 
mules, pigs, and other animals, — observations that have been confirmed by informa- 
tion received from the inhabitants of the northern part of Brazil, — I am led to be- 
lieve that the puncture which the vampire makes in the skin of animals is effected 
by the sharp, hooked nail of its thumb, and that from the wound thus made it ab- 
stracts the blood by the suctorial powers of its lips and tongue." 

Some of these bats measure two feet between the tips of their 
wings. There are some persons whom a vampire will not touch, 
while others are constantly victimized. The alligator- riding 
Waterton states that for eleven months he slept alone in the loft 
of a wood-cutter's abandoned house in the forest, and, though the 
vampires came in and out every night, and hovered over his 
hammock, yet he could never have the pleasure of being bitten, 
— which amusement he doubtless would have foregone if he had 
had the experience of Mr. Wallace, who says that a wound on the 
tip of the toe is very painful, rendering a shoe unbearable for 
several days, and "forces one to the conclusion that, after the 
first time for the curiosity of the thing, to be bitten by a bat is 
very disagreeable/' 

There are instances in Northern Brazil where individuals for 
whom the bat entertained a great predilection had to be removed 
to a different portion of the country, where the bloodthirsty ani- 
mals did not abound. One of Mr. Wallace's party — an old negro- 
was constantly annoyed with them. He was bitten almost every 
night; and, though there were frequently half a dozen persons in 
the room, he would be the party favored by their attentions. 
" Once," Mr. Wallace writes, " he came to us with a doleful counte- 
nance, telling us he thought the bats meant to eat him up quite 
for, having covered up his hands and feet in a blanket, they hud 



Annoyances Magnified. 



507 




THE ELECTRIC EEL. 



descended beneath his hammock of open network, and, attacking 
the most prominent part of his person, had bitten him through a 
hole in his trousers '." 

While enumerating the various insects, reptiles, and vicious 
animals of Brazil, the reader who has not visited that land would 
be led to the belief that it is impossible to stir a foot without 
being affectionately entwined by a serpent, sprung upon by a 
jaguar, or bitten by a rattlesnake. In your fancy eveiy bush 
swarms with chigoes ready to en- 
graft their stock upon your legs, 
every cranny contains a scorpion 
waiting to ensconce himself in vour 
pantaloons, and every pool is filled 
with electric eels prepared to give you 
a shocking reception. I can only say 
that, when travelling on the sea-coast 

and in the interior, I never was more annoyed by insects than I had 
been in the southwestern portion of the United States; and that, 
with a moderate degree of care, you may journey fifty days with- 
out experiencing any thing more deadly than the 
bite of a mosquito. The sand-fiies call forth more 
complaints from naturalists and travellers than do 
either serpents, scorpions, or centipedes; and yet all 
of these are more or less found throughout the 
interior. But difficulties only seem insurmountable 
in the distance : they disappear when looked boldly 
in the face, and do not affect the tourist and the 
naturalist one-tenth as much in reality as in antici- 
pation. 

In this connection a few words may be devoted 
to the anaconda, the largest of the ophidian family. 
I confess myself to have been incredulous in regard to the 
powers and capacities of this huge reptile until I went to Brazil, 
and I have no doubt that I shall, in the opinion of some, add a few 
pages to the innumerable *'• snake-stories. 

The enormous anaconda, (JEunectes murinus,) or sucuruju of the 
natives, a portrait of which forms the initial letter of this chapter,) 
inhabits Tropical America, and particularly haunts the dense forests 




THE SCORPION. 



.508 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

near the margin of rivers. The boa-constrictor, the jiboa of the 
Indians, is smaller and more terrestrial. The first of these crea- 
tures which I saw was a young one belonging to a gentleman in 
the province of S. Paulo. I afterward saw one in the province 
of Eio de Janeiro that measured twenty-five feet. Mr. Nesbitt, 
the engineer who took the Peruvian Government steamers to the 
upper affluents of the Amazon, informed me that he shot, on the 
banks of the Huallaga, an anaconda which measured twenty-six feet 
seven inches. An Italian physician at Campinas (S. Paulo) gave 
me an account of the manner in which the sucuruju, or anaconda, 
took his prey. 

The giant ophidian lies in wait by the river-side, where quadru- 
peds of all kinds are likely to frequent to quench their thirst. He 
patiently waits until some animal draws within reach, when, with a 
rapidity almost incredible, the monster fastens himself to the neck 
of his victim, coils round it, and crushes it to death. After the un- 
fortunate animal has been reduced to a shapeless mass by the pres- 
sure of the snake, its destroyer prepares to swallow it by sliming 
it over with a viscid secretion. When the anaconda has gulped 
down a heifer (by commencing with the tail and hind- feet brought 
together) he lies torpid for a month, until his enormous meal, is 
digested, and then sallies forth for another. The doctor added 
that the sucuruju does not attempt the deglutition and digestion of 
the horns, but that he lets them protrude from his mouth until 
they fall off by decay. It had been said by some casual observers 
that the anaconda dies after swallowing a large animal, that the 
buzzards seen near him eat him up; but the doctor added that 
close observation showed that this statement was entirely erroneous. 
However, the vultures were always the close attendants of the 
sucuruju, to aid him in the delivering of his faeces. As to the 
amount of credence due to the statements of Dr. B., relative 
to the horns of the swallowed animal and the peculiar mid- 
wifery of the buzzards, I leave the reader to form his own opinion; 
but the facts are incontrovertible in regard to the capacity of the 
anaconda to swallow animals whose diameter is many times 
greater than its own. Of all the travellers and explorers whose 
writings I have read, Wallace and Gardner are the most moderate 
in their accounts as eye-witnesses, and are most particular to re- 



The Snake that Swallowed a Horse. 509 

cord nothing of which they were not fully persuaded after patient 
and careful investigation. Mr. Wallace says "it is an undis- 
puted fact that they devour cattle and horses." In the province 
of Goyaz, Dr. Gardner came to the fazenda of Sape, situated at the 
foot of the Serra de Santa Brida, near the entrance to a small 
valley. This plantation belonged to Lieutenant Lagoeira. Dr. G. 
remarks that in this valley and throughout this province the ana- 
conda attains an enormous size, sometimes reaching forty feet in 
length : the largest which he saw measured thirty-seven feet, 
but was not alive. It had been taken under the following circum- 
stances : — 

"Some weeks before our arrival at Sape," writes Dr. G, "the favorite riding- 
horse of Senhor Lagoeira, which had been put out to pasture not far from the 
house, could not be found, although strict search was made for it all over the 
fazenda. Shortly after this one of his vaqueiros, (herdsmen,) in going through the 
wood by the side of a small stream, saw an enormous sucuruju suspended in the 
fork of a tree which hung over the water. It was dead, but had evidently been 
floated down alive by a recent flood, and, being in an inert state, it had not been 
able to extricate itself from the fork before the waters fell. It was dragged out 
to the open country by two horses, and was found to measure thirty-seven feet in 
length. On opening it, the bones of a horse in a somewhat broken condition, and 
the flesh in a half-digested state, were found within it: the bones of the head were 
uninjured. From these circumstances we concluded that the boa had swallowed the 
horse entire. In all kinds of snakes the capacity for swallowing is prodigious. I 
have often seen one not thicker than my thumb swallow a frog as large as my fist ; 
and I once killed a rattlesnake about four feet long, and of no great thickness, 
which had swallowed not less than three large frogs. I have also seen a very slender 
snake that frequents the roofs of houses swallow an entire bat three times its own 
thickness. If such be the case with these smaller kinds, it is not to be wondered 
at that one thirty-seven feet long should be able to swallow a horse, particularly 
when it is knowci that previously to doing so it breaks the bones of the animal by 
coiling itself round it, and afterward lubricates it with a slimy matter, which it has 
the power of secreting in its mouth." 

Near Sape many of the marmoset monkeys abound, and a very 
small species, sometimes called the ouistiti, (Jacchus amities,) is 
exceedingly nimble, and not wanting in beauty. 

The Brazilian girls are fond of pets ; and, among others, a great 
favorite is this ouistiti, which is rarely ever seen out of Brazil, 
even in the best zoological collections. It has a skin like chinchilla 
fur, and its face presents none of the repulsive features of other 
monkeys. These little animals become very tame and sleep upon 
the lap or shoulders of their mistress. Their actions are most 
graceful and rapid. Two that a friend of mine embarked for the 



MO 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



United States oould mount the ship's ropes ten times us rapidly 
as the nimblest sailor, [f birds oame on board, they hunted them 
from rope to rope, and passed along under the spar upon winch 
their viotim sat, and then pounoed upon it with certain aim. In 
their native forests they are very fond of insects, which they oaten 
with great expertness. They are excessively timid when roughly 
handled: one of the two referred to was teased by the sailors, and 
in consequence died in convulsions. It. was pitiful to see the other 




i n i m a R M OS I r. 



look at himself in a" glass, making a plaintive noise and licking the 
reflection of his own face. They were so small that a square cigar- 

box, the length Of One "Havana." contained them both. With 
greal care the surviving ouistiti was kept alive through a Northern 
winter, His ft>Od was bread, sponge-biscuit, apples, and now ami 
then a chicken's neck or a mouse. It was curious to see hi ni 
devour the latter, lie began at the snout and carefully pushed 
bark the skin, eating the bones ami every thing until he reached 
the tail, which was all that he lefl inside the skin. His last effort 
was to aid in ereoting a parsonage, by being exhibited at a lair I'm' 
that purpose But his benevolence was too much lor him: the little 
fellow pined ami died, after having endured a succession of fits; and 
Ins end was doubtless hastened bv the breath oi' his numerous 



The Province of Alagoas. 511 

visitors, and by an escape of gas in the chamber where he was 
kept ; for the delicate monkeys in the London Zoological Gardens 
were all killed by being in a room with a stove. An open grate 
was substituted, and their successors escaped. 

Next to Sergipe in our northward route is the small province of 
Alagoas. It derives its name from the lake — or, strictly speak- 
ing, the inlet — on which stands its old capital, the city of Alagojis. 
The principal seaport of the province is Maceio. Into this port we 
entered, after a passage of about thirty-six hours from Bahia. As 
we bore up to land in the morning after our second night at sea, 
we found the coast very flat, sometimes exhibiting a sandy beach, 
and anon banks of eighty or ninety feet elevation, denominated, 
from their prevailing color, the Red Cliffs. We approached so near 
these cliffs as to perceive distinctly their stratification, which 
resembled successive layers of brick. 

The most favored island of the Southern seas can hardly present 
a more lovely aspect than does the harbor of Maceio. The port is 
formed by a reef of rocks visible at ebb-tide, which runs north and 
south for a sufficient distance in a right line, and seems to form an 
angle with an extreme point of land on the north. From the same 
point the beach sweeps inward in the form of a semicircle. The 
sand on this beach exhibits a snowy whiteness, as if bleached by 
the foam of the ocean-waves that unceasingly dash upon it. 

A little back from the water is a single line of white houses, em- 
bowered here and there by groves of majestic coqueiros, whose 
noble fruit, clustered amid their branching leaves, might be 
thought to resemble jewels set among the plumes of a coronet. 
Upon a hill-side, some distance in the rear, stands the city, con- 
taining a population of about six thousand. 

My visit to Maceio was most agreeable, connected as it was w T ith 
the sympathizing Brazilians and others who were glad to receive 
the Word, and who gave me many pleasant assurances that the 
sojourn of my co-laborer and predecessor had not been forgotten. 
One old man, with tears in his eyes, referred to Dr. Kidder's visit, 
and aided me in the dissemination of the Truth. 

Maceio is the depot of large quantities of cotton and sugar which 
are brought down from the interior. Good brown sugar can be 
purchased at Maceio for two dollars and fifty cents per hundred- 



512 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

weight, and the planters admit that they can raise sugar at a profit 
at a market-price of less than two dollars per hundredweight. 

This province, fifteen years ago, was in a constant state of 
turmoil; but for the last ten years it has settled down into quiet- 
ness, and is advancing with the general improvement of the Empire. 

After leaving Maceio, we pass along a coast interesting in the 
history of the past. Before ns we see Cape St. Augustine, which 
was the first portion of the New World discovered south of the 
equator. Our track is that over which, in early times, sailed Caven- 
dish and Lancaster, the great English freebooters, who devastated 
the Brazilian coast-towns in 1591 and '93. Here, too, passed the 
ships of Lord Cochrane and Admirals Taylor and Jewett, two Eng- 
lishmen and an American in the service of Brazil, who by their 
bravery and skill defeated the Portuguese fleets and did much to 
secure the Northern cities to the new regime. 

In the interior, about sixty miles from Porto Calvo, there was a 
curious community, hidden away amid groves of palm-trees, having 
a regular military and priestly government, and known as the Re- 
public of Palmares. It seems almost like romance to read of a set- 
tlement composed of fugitive slaves, who were perfectly organized, 
and from time to time went forth on predatory excursions, carrying 
off treasure and cattle, and taking captive the wives and daughters 
of the Portuguese and then exacting a heavy ransom. 

They had villages and towns; and, in addition to their marauding 
sallies, they carried on a regular trade with some of the colonies. 
They flourished for sixty years; and such, at length, became their 
audacity that regular war was declared against them, and for months 
the Portuguese sustained the severest contest that they had ever 
been obliged to undertake west of the coast. The little State was 
heroically defended; but when, after it had gallantly held out 
against great odds, cannon were brought to the aid of the besiegers, 
the Republic of Palmares fell. When all hope was gone, the leader 
and the most resolute of his followers retired to the summit of a 
high rock within the enclosure, and, preferring death to slavery, 
threw themselves from the precipice, — men worthy of a better fate 
for their courage and their cause. 

In its consequences to the vanquished, this victory resembled those 
of the inhuman wars of antiquity. The survivors of all ages and of 



The Kbpublic of Palmares. 



513 



either sex were brought away as slaves. A fifth of the men were 
selected for the Crown : the rest were divided among the captors as 
their booty, and all who were thought likely to fly, were trans- 
ported to distant parts of Brazil, or to Portugal. The women and 
children remained in Pernambuco, being thus separated forever 
from their husbands and their fathers. 

Twelve hours after we had left Maceio, the towers and domes of 
the Recife, or Pernambuco, appeared, like those of Venice, to be 
gradually rising from the sparkling water. Far to our right, on a 
bold and verdant hill, we could descry the suburb called Olinda, 
(translated the beautiful,) seeming like a rich mosaic of white towers, 
vermilion roofs, bright green palm-trees, and bananeiros. It is, 
however, in this case distance that lends enchantment to the 
view; for Olinda, whose inhabitants once looked down in contempt 




THE JANGADA, AND THE ENTRANCE TO PERNAMBUCO. 



upon their commercial neighbors of the Recife, is now in decay. 
The law-school, with its three hundred students, has been trans- 
ferred to Pernambuco, and this once valiant capital of the 
equatorial colonies of Portugal is now going rapidly to decay. 
Olinda deserves to be regarded as S. Vincente, and the two 

places may be considered as exhibiting the classic remains of the 

33 



514 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

colonial system of Portugal. Olinda, however, reminds us nearly 
as much of the Dutch as it does of the Portuguese, being known 
in the annals of Holland as the ancient Mauricius, upon which the 
ambitious Count of Nassau staked his fortune and his fame. 

As we drew near to Pernambuco, the warehouses and the ship- 
ping presented the features of a large commercial town, and the 
resemblance between it and the silent Queen of the Adriatic no 
longer forced itself upon the beholder. The waves outside of the 
curious reef, (recife,~) or natural breakwater, were dotted with 
lateen-sailed jangadas or catamarans, and the proprietors of these 
dancing rigged rafts seemed literally at sea "on a log." 

Our steamer came proudly up to the fierce little fort and white 
pharo that (so low is the reef) appeared to rise from the water. 
We anchored on the seaward side of the fortress and awaited with 
anxious expectation the visit of the health-boat. Every passenger, 
from the wild matuto (forester) and sertanejo to the dignified 
medico and the vain officer of the Imperial army, was rejoicing at 
his approaching liberation. The health-boat came bobbing around 
the fort, and we had the satisfaction of hearing that we should be 
quarantined for ten days on an island four miles west of the city. 
There was really no necessity for this, for our health-bill from 
Maceio was immaculate. It is needless to narrate our adventures 
in getting to the quarantine; our navigation on a jangada; how 
fifty persons were quartered in four rooms (comfortable for eight 
individuals) which would have been unbearable except for the 
capital ventilation through the arched tiles; how merry we were, 
and contented, under the circumstances; how we were refreshed 
by cocoanut-milk and bracing breezes; how I had opportunities 
for doing good; how we were all liberated and a hundred more 
put into our places; and how kind was my reception (when I was 
permitted inside of Pernambuco) by Mr. Samuel Johnson and Mr. 
flitch, (the heads of two houses, English and American.) All this 
must be unwritten history. As has been said of a traveller's delay 
in Italy, it may be said of this detention at Pernambuco, in logical 
language there was no causa causans; but the causa sine qua non 
was that we were in Brazil, where the "brief author! ty" of officials 
is sometimes notoriously overbearing. 

Pernambuco is the third city of Brazil, and is the greatest sugar- 



The City of Pernambuco. 515 

mart in the Empire. Its population, according to the last census, is 
one hundred and twentj'-five thousand. In all respects Pernambuco 
is a thriving and a progressive cit}\ Those who remember its former 
unpaved streets, and its other inconveniences for comfort and con- 
ve}~ance, would now be surprised at the various changes and improve- 
ments. Water-works have been constructed, good bridges erected, 
and extensive quays have been formed on the margins of the rivers 
that would serve, according to Mr. Hadfield, as models for the con- 
servators of " Father Thames." Printing-presses send forth dailies 
and weeklies, besides from time to time respectable-sized books and 
Government documents. Education is looking up, whether we con- 
sider the common schools, the collegios, or the flourishing Law- 
College, which rivals that of Sao Paulo. 

The city is divided into three parishes or districts, called severally 
S. Pedro de Gonsalves or Recife, S. Antonio, and Boa Vista, which 
are connected by bridges and good roads. The entrance to the 
harbor has been deepened, and extensive quays have been built. 

Many of the houses of Pernambuco are built in a st}le unknown in 
other parts of Brazil. A description of one where nry predecessor 
was entertained by a friend may serve as a specimen of the style 
referred to : — 

"It was six stories high. The first or ground floor was denominated the arma- 
zem, and was occupied by male servants at night ; the second furnished apartments 
for the counting-room, &c. ; the third and fourth for parlors and lodging-rooms ; 
the fifth for dining-rooms; and the sixth for a kitchen. Readers of domestic habits 
will perceive that one special advantage of having a kitchen located in the attic 
arises from the upward tendency of the smoke and effluvia universally produced by 
culinary operations. A disadvantage, however, inseparable from the arrangement, 
is the necessity of conveying various heavy articles up so many flights of stairs. 
Water might be mentioned, for example, which, in the absence of all mechanical 
contrivances for such an object, was carried up on the heads of negroes. Any one 
will perceive that the liability of mistake, in endeavoring to preserve the equili- 
brium of each vessel of water thus transported, exposed the lower portion of the 
house to the danger of a flood. Surmounting the sixth story, and constituting, in 
one sense, the seventh, was a splendid observatory, glazed above and on all sides. 

" The prospect from this observatory was extended and interesting in the ex- 
treme. It was just such a place as the stranger should always seek in order to 
receive correct impressions of the locality and environs of the city. His gaze from 
such an elevation will not fail to rest with interest upon the broad bay of Pernam- 
buco, stretching, with a moderate but regular incurvation of the coast, between the 
promontory of Olinda and Cape St. Augustine, thirty miles below. This bay is gene- 
rally adorned with a great number of jangadas, which, with their broad lateen sails, 
make no mean appearance. Besides the commerce of the port itself, vessels often 



516 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

appear in the offing, bound on distant voyages, both north and south No port is 
more easy of access. A vessel bound to either the Indian or the Pacific Ocean, or 
on her passage homeward to either the United States or Europe, may, with but a 
slight deviation from her best course, put into Pernambuco. She may come to an 
anchor in the Lameirao, or outer harbor, and hold communication with the shore, 
either to obtain advices or refreshments, and resume her voyage at pleasure, with- 
out becoming subject to port-charges. This is very convenient for whaling-ships 
and South Sea traders. In order to discharge or receive cargo, vessels are required 
to come within the reef and to conform to usual port-regulations. 

"Men-of-war seldom remain long here. None of large draught can pass the bai% 
and those that can are required — probably in view of the danger of accidents when 
so close to the city — to deposit their powder at the fort. Few naval commanders 
are willing to yield to such a requirement ; while, at the same time, their berth in 
the Lameirao cannot be relied on for either quietness or safety. The powerful 
winds and heavy roll of the sea are frequently sufficient to part the strongest cables. 
These are sufficient reasons why Pernambuco is not a favorite naval station either 
for Brazil or for foreign nations. The commercial shipping is under full view from 
the observatory, yet it is too near at hand and too densely crowded together to 
make an imposing appearance. (The entrance has been deepened to 20 ft— J. C. F.) 

"Olinda, seen from this distance, must attract the attention and the admiration 
of every one. Of this city set upon a hill, one is at a loss whether to admire most 
the whitened houses and massive temples, or the luxuriant foliage interspersed 
among them, and in which those edifices on the hill-side seem to be partially 
buried. From this point a line of highlands sweeps inward with a tolerably regular 
arc, terminating at Cape St. Augustine, and forming a semilunar reconcave, analo- 
gous to that of Bahia. The entire summit of these highlands is crowned with green 
forests and foliage. Indeed, from the outermost range of vision to the very pre- 
cincts of the city, throughout the extended plain, circumscribed by five-sixths of 
the imagined arc, scarcely an opening appears to the eye, although, in fact, the 
country overlooked is populous and cultivated. Numbers of buildings, also, within 
the suburbs of the city, are overtowered and wholly or partially hidden by lofty palms, 
mangueiras, cajueiros, and other trees. The interval between Recife and Olinda is 
in striking contrast to this appearance. It is a perfectly barren bank of sand, a 
narrow beach, upon one side of which the ocean breaks, while on the other side, 
only a few rods distant and nearly parallel, runs a branch of the Beberibe River. 

"At a distance varying from one-fourth to half a mile from the shore runs the 
bank of rocks already mentioned as extending along the greater portion of the 
northern coast of Brazil. Its top is scarcely visible at high-tide, being covered 
with the surf, which dashes over it in sheets of foam. At low-water it is left dry, 
and stands like an artificial wall, with a surface sufficiently even to form a beautiful 
promenade in the very midst of the sea. This natural parapet is approached by the 
aid of boats. It is found to be from two to five rods in thickness. Its edges are a 
little worn and fractured, but both its sides are perpendicular to a great depth. 
The rock, in its external appearance, is of a dark-brown color, and, when broken, 
it is found to be composed of a very hard species of sandstone of a yellow com- 
plexion, in which numerous bivalves are embedded in a state of complete preserva- 
tion. Various species of small sea-shells may be collected in the water-worn cavi- 
ties of the surface. At several points deep winding fissures extend through a portion 
of the reef; but in general its appearance is quite regular, — much more so, doubt- 
less, than any artificial wall could be after hundreds of years' exposure to the wear- 



Various Districts of the City. 517 

ing of the ocean- waves. The abrupt opening in this reef, by which an entrance is 
offered to vessels, is scarcely less remarkable than the protection which is secured 
to them when once behind this rocky bulwark. 

" Opposite the northern extremity of the city, as though a breach had been arti- 
ficially cut, the rock opens, leaving a passage of sufficient depth and width to admit 
ships of sixteen feet draught at high-water. Great skill is requisite, however, to 
conduct them safely in ; for no sooner have they passed the reef than it becomes 
necessary to tack ship and keep close under the lee of the rock, in order to avoid 
the danger of running aground. 

"Close to this opening and on the extremity of the reef stands the fort, built 
at an early day by the Dutch. Its foundations were admirably laid, being com- 
posed of long blocks of stone, imported from Europe, hewed square. They were 
placed lengthwise to the sea, and then bound together by heavy bands of iron. A 
wall of the same nature extends from the base of the fortification to the body of the 
reef. This wall appears to have become perfectly solidified, and, in fact, aug- 
mented by a slight crust of accumulating petrifaction. This circumstance corrobo- 
rates the idea that the rock, on the whole, may be increasing, like the coral reefs 
of the South Sea Islands. 

"The district of S. Pedro — frequently called that of the Recife — is not large. 
Its buildings are most of them ancient in their appearance : they exhibit the old 
Dutch style of architecture, and many of them retain their latticed balconies or 
gelovzias: These gelouzias were common at Rio de Janeiro at the period of Dom 
John's arrival. But that monarch, dreading the use that might be made of them 
as places of concealment for assassins, ordered them to be pulled down ; and they 
are now rarely seen in the metropolis. 

"The principal street of the Recife is Rua da Cruz. At its northern extremity, 
toward the Arsenal da Marinha, it is wide and imposing in its aspect. Toward the 
other end, although flanked by high houses, it becomes very narrow, like most of 
the other streets by which it is intersected. A single bridge connects this portion 
of the city with S. Antonio, the middle district. 

" S. Antonio is the finest part of Pernambuco when considered as a city. It con- 
tains the palace and military arsenal, in front of Avhich a wall has recently been 
extended along the river's bank. Just above the water's edge has been placed a row 
of green-painted seats for the accommodation of the public. These are inviting, 
mornings and evenings, although, in the absence of shade-trees, the rays of the sun, 
pouring upon the turfless sand, render the heat intolerable throughout the day. 

"The principal streets of this section of the city, together with an open square 
used as a market-place, are spacious and elegant. The bridge crossing the other 
river is longer and more expensive than the one just described, although the depth 
of the stream beneath is not so great. On the southern or southwestern bank 
of this river stands the British Chapel, in a very suitable and convenient location. 
That edifice is built in modern style, and generally well attended by the English 
residents, on Sabbath-days, both morning and evening. Boa Vista is very exten- 
sive, and is chiefly occupied by residences and country-seats. A few large build- 
ings stand near the river, and, like most of those in the other sections of the town, 
are devoted in part to commercial purposes. Beyond these, the houses are gene- 
rally low, but large upon the ground, and surrounded by gardens, here denomi- 
nated sitios. The streets here were formerly unpaved, and unhappily suffered to 
remain in a most wretched condition. Sand, dry and wonderfully comminuted, 
abounds on all sides, unless variegated by filthy pools of standing- water. 



518 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

"The hedges in the environs of Pernambuco are similar to those of Rio, although 
generally more rank in growth. Many of the houses exhibit an expensive and at 
the same time tasteful style of construction. I was pointed to one in the veranda 
of which was arranged a collection of statues. The owner being a wealthy and 
notorious slave-dealer, some wag, a few years since, thinking either to oblige or to 
vex him, crept in by night and supplied him with a cargo of new negroes, by paint- 
ing all the marble faces black." 

Pernambuco has ever manifested more activity than any other 
of the Northern provinces. It was the first to declare against the 
Portuguese Government, and several times there have been com- 
motions that threatened for a time the dismemberment of the State; 
but at the present time there is no province more faithful. An 
outbreak occurred in 1848, in consequence of a band of miscreants 
from the interior joining with a few disaffected in the city; but 
their leaders were summarily dealt with, and since that time the 
province has remained perfectly tranquil. 

The state of religion at Pernambuco is not obviously different 
from that in other parts of the Empire. The monasteries are in 
low repute, having at present but few inmates. The hospicio of 
the Barbadinhos, or Italian Capuchins, has been converted into a 
foundling-hospital. None of the churches are remarkable for their 
beauty, or splendor of construction. That of Nossa Senhora da 
Conceicao dos Militares is distinguished for a singular painting upon 
its walls, designed to represent the battle of the Gararapes, and to 
commemorate the victory which was then obtained over the 
heretical Hollanders. 

I followed up the Bible-labors of my predecessor, and found some 
unexpected openings for sowing the good seed. There never was 
a more favorable opportunity than the present for the introduction 
of truth and of a pure worship into this portion of Brazil. What 
is most needed in view of this object is a number of fearless and 
faithful Brazilian preachers. 

Through the English chaplain, Dr. Kidder was made acquainted 

with a priest who had already become convinced of the necessity 

of some new measures for enlightening the people, and who had 

recently taken an active part in circulating Bibles and tracts. 

He thus records his interview with this Bible-Christian : — 

"I met with this padre a few days after my arrival in the city. He came into 
the ho\ise of a friend with whom I was dining, and, happening to lay his hand upon 
some of the new tracts which I brought along, he broke forth in expressions of 



A Bible-Christian. 519 

delight, saying that he had use for a quantity of these publications. In addition 
to their subject-matter, he was particularly pleased with their severally bear- 
imprint of Rio de Janeiro, a circumstance that indicated the radiation of light from 
that important point. This individual was a man fifty years old. as much like the 
ex-Regent Feijo in his appearance as any other Brazilian I ever saw. Part of his 
education he had received in Portugal, part in Brazil. He had once been chaplain 
to the prison-island of Fernando de Xoronha. Owing to his recent change of views 
on several important topics, he had suffered considerable persecution from his 
bish :p and some others of the clergy, but he seemed in no way disheartened by this. 

"His opinion was. that the silent distribution of tracts and Scriptures among 
those persons and families disposed to read and prize them was the best method 
of doing good in the country at present. And most faithfully did he pursue that 
method, calling on me every few days for a fresh supply of evangelical publications. 

"I one day returned his visit, and found him surrounded with quite a libi 
among which his Bible attracted my attention, as having been for a year or two past 
his one book. Almost every page in it was marked as containing something of very 
.1 interest. I could but wish that all with whom the Bible is not a rare 
book prized it as highly as did this padre, who. after having spent the greater 
portion of his life as a minister of religion according to the best of his pre 
knowledge, now in his declining years had found the word of God to be • a light to 
his feet and a lamp to his path.' " 

In 1838, there occurred in this province one of the most extra- 
ordinary scenes of fanaticism which is a melancholy proof that the 
boast of the Eomish Church is in vain that such extravagances are 
confined to Protestant countries. The following narrative, con- 
densed from the official documents before me, may challenge a 
parallel in either history or mythology. In order that the reader 
may fully understand it. I will remind him that there prevails 
in Portugal, and to some extent in Brazil, a sect called Sel -- 
tianists. The distinguishing tenet of this sect is the belief that 
Dom Sebastian, the King of Portugal who. in 1577. undertook 
an expedition against the Moors in Africa, and who. having been 
defeated, never returned, is still alive, and is destined yet to make 
his reappearance on earth, when all that the most enthusiastic 
Millerarian ever anticipated will be realized. Numberless dreams and 
prophecies, together with the interpretation of marvellous portents 
continuing this idea, have been circulated with so much of clerical 
sanction, that many have believed the senseless whim. Nor have 
there been lacking persons, at various periods, who have under- 
q to fulfil the prophecies, and to prove themselves the veritable 
Dom Sebastian. 

The prime point of faith is. that he will yet come, and that too. 
.-h believer has it. in his own lifetime. The Portuguese look 



r- 



520 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

for his appearance at Lisbon, hut the Brazilians generally think it 
most likely that he will first revisit his own city, St. Sebastian. 

It appears that a reckless villain, named Joao Antonio, fixed 
upon a remote part of the province of Pernambuco, near Pianco, 
in the Comarca de Flores, for the appearance of the said Dom Se- 
bastian. The place designated was a dense forest, near which 
were known to be two acroceraunian caverns. This spot the im- 
postor said was an enchanted kingdom, which was about to be 
disenchanted, whereupon Dom Sebastian would immediately appear 
at the head of a great army, with glory, and with power to confer 
wealth and happiness upon all who should anticipate his coming by 
associating themselves with said Joao Antonio. 

As might be expected, he found followers, who, after a while, 
learned that the imaginary kingdom was to be disenchanted by 
having its soil sprinkled with the blood of one hundred innocent 
children! In default of a sufficient number of children, men and 
women were to be immolated, but in a few days they would all rise 
again and become possessed of the riches of the world. The pro- 
phet appears to have lacked the courage necessary to carry out his 
bloody scheme; but he delegated power to an accomplice, named 
Joao Ferreira, who assumed the title of "His Holiness," put a 
wreath of rushes upon his head, and required the proselytes to kiss 
his toe, on pain of instant death. The official letter to Sr. Fran- 
cisco Bego Barras, at that time President of Pernambuco, states 
that "he also married every man to two or three women with 
superstitious rites in accordance with his otherwise immoral con- 
duct," After other deeds, too horrible to describe, he commenced 
the slaughter of human beings. Each parent was required to 
bring forward one or two of his children to be offered. In vain 
did the prattling babes shriek and beg that they might not be 
murdered. The unnatural parent would reply, "No, my child; 
there is no remedy," and forcibly offer them. In the course of two 
days he had thus, in cold blood, slain twenty-one adults and twenty 
children, when a brother of the prophet, becoming jealous of "His 
Holiness," thrust him through and assumed his power. At this 
juncture some one ran away, and apprized the civil authorities of 
the dreadful tragedy. 

Troops were called out, who hastened to the spot; but the infatu- 



Extraordinary Fanaticism. 521 

ated Sebastianists had been taught not to fear any thing, but that 
should an attack be made upon them it would be the signal for the 
restoration of the kingdom, the resurrection of their dead, and the 
destruction of their enemies. Wherefore, on seeing the troops ap- 
proach they rushed upon them, uttering cries of defiance, attacking 
those who had come to their rescue, and actually killing five, and 
wounding others, before they could be restrained. Xor did they 
submit until twenty-nine of their number, including three women, 
had actually been killed. Women, seeing their husbands dying at 
their feet, would not attempt to escape, but shouted, " The time is 
come ! Viva ! viva ! the time is come !" Of those that survived a 
few escaped into the woods, the rest were taken prisoners. It was 
found that the victims of this horrid delusion had not even buried 
the bodies of their murdered offspring and kinsmen, so confident 
were they of their immediate restoration. 

Pernambuco lies on the great eastern shoulder of the South 
American continent, where it pushes farthest into the ocean. Its 
present great commercial importance is largely owing to this fortuitous 
position. The city does not depend altogether for its large exports 
on the fruitfulness or plenty of the region immediately surrounding it, 
but to the sugar-belt which runs back to the sertao (" the wilderness, 
or desert"), — a term applied to much of the great promontory on 
which the province lies. The sertao is a plain, of but little elevation 
above the sea. of a surface undulating to a small degree ; occupied by 
a crisp, thin herbage on a baked ferruginous clay, or patched over 
with dwarfed forests ; is irregularly supplied with rain, and is very 
sparsely populated. 

Pernambuco sends out annually four millions of dollars of exports 
past the angry little fort at the end of the Recife. A half-million 
reaches the United States. But its abundant beef and hides are 
gathered from the fat but untamed herds that riot among the sedgy 
meadows of the far-off San Francisco ; while a portion of the cotton 
and sugar are harvested three hundred miles away, around the 
Villa das F lores and among the foot-hills of Santa Barbaretta, — the 
first mountain-chain that arrests the trade-wind as it sweeps west- 
ward, laden with rain, which pours down the little valleys that 
furrow the serra and fill the region below with plenty. 

There are also an immense number of sugar-plantations on the 



M 



522 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

proposed railway from Pernambuco to Joazeiro. From the Recife to 
the river Una — a distance of severe-five miles — there are no less 
than three hundred sugar-estates on the sections of this railway. 

Rapidity of communication has modified the character of the 
country-people. Once the distant population of this province was as 
untamed as the wilderness in which it existed. Law was worn 
loosely. Society was patriarchal rather than civil. The proprietor 
of a sugar or cattle estate was, practically, an absolute lord. The 
community that lived in the shadow of so great a man was his feudal 
retinue ; and, by the conspiracy' of a few such men, who were thus 
able to bring scores of lieges and partisans into the field, the quiet of 
the province was formerly more than once disturbed by revolts, which 
gave the Government much trouble. Still, there are lawless people 
among whom the revenues can be collected only b} r import and export 
duties. Taxation is impossible, because there is no system of tax- 
gathering vigorous enough to collect it. A few years ago an excise 
was put on the herds of cattle, and the exciseman went into the 
sertao for the Emperor's money. He was caught, stripped, and im- 
prisoned in the trunk of a dead bullock, with his head sticking out. 
"If the Emperor wants beef," the sertanejos said, "let his excise- 
man take it along." 

The provincial of Pernambuco, as he enters the city from the 
sertao to do his semi-annual marketing, is worthy of such an ex- 
ploit, and is a notable. The highway to the city lies through 
Cachanga, — a neat little hamlet two or three leagues from the 
Recife. The village is hidden from the observer as he approaches 
by a long valley of orange and banana trees. This is the sertanejo's 
last night's halt before getting to market. He has already ridden 
for twelve days, perched upon a couple of oblong cotton-bags 
strapped parallel to his horse's sides, followed by his train of a 
dozen horses or mules, loaded, in the same way, with cotton or 
sugar. A monkey, with a clog tied to his waist, surmounts one in 
place of the driver; parrot and his wife another; and a large brass- 
throated macaw with a stiff blue coat of feathers another. A raw- 
hide protects his wares from the rain. Night after night he has 
slept on the earth, or has been suspended in his inseparable ham- 
mock, slung between two trees, with only the generous, starry sky 
for a covering. 



The Sertanejos' Cavalcade. 



523 



Cachinga, quiet and silent by day, is boisterous by night ; for, 
during its watches, the sertanejos accumulate about the vendas by 
hundreds. The first streaking of the morning witnesses a miscel- 
laneous distribution, over the earth, of men, jaded horses, mules, 
monkeys, parroquetas, and sugar and cotton bags. The caravan 
is at once put in motion. Each individual sertanejo stirs his 
beasts, packs their loads, goes behind the riding-horse, seizes hold 
of the tail, puts a foot on the hock-joint, and leaps up on the back 




SERTANEJOS. 



as if ascending a flight of stairs. This is a summons to every horse 
of his troop — already educated to it — to take his place in the train. 
In an instant the motley cavalcade is rolling down the valley of 
the Capibaribe before the sun has absorbed the dew-drops, which 
are like pendent jewelry on the rank leaves of the thick orchards 
that overhang the road. The sertanejo passes on, only pausing to 
uncover before the patron saint of all cavaliers, (who is shut up in 
a wooden case at the gateway of the bridge of San Antonio,) and 
he finally halts with his various merchandise, living and dead, in 
the street Trapixe. 

The individuality of the sertanejo is now manifest. On his head 
he wears a pindova hat, after the pattern of a sugar-loaf, attem- 



524 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

pered by experience to every condition of weather. Under it is an 
affluent " shock" of hair, in the midst of which, in a doubtful state 
of light and eclipse, is a thin, bronze face, of Portuguese configura- 
tion, with eyes significant of divided curiosity and suspicion. He 
is attired in a cotton shirt and unmentionables, the one scant to the 
elbows and unbottoned at the throat, leaving his tanned bosom 
bare, and the other rolled up to the knees. His feet are all unlearned 
in such commercial literature as the statistics of boots and shoes. 
However, the new Sugar Exchange, which opens at -9 a. m., and the 
railway and coasters, which bring in two-thirds of the crop, have 
changed the hours and diminished the sertanejos in number, but not 
in picturesqueness. 

Until within a few }*ears, earl}* morning was the busy hour of Per- 
nambuco. The sugar-streets were thronged with a wonderful mis- 
cellany of horses, mules, and sugar-bags ; sugar-merchants delicately 
holding samples ; cotton-bales, goats with their families on a morning 
promenade ; and quitandeiras eloquently passing panegyrics on cakes, 
comfits, and oranges. And still the tide of little well-laden horses 
pours into the Trapixe. The horses lie down to rest, and the ser- 
tanejo, fatigued with the riot of the night, and anticipating the noon- 
tide siesta, pillows himself to slumber on the neck of his steed. A 
wood-dealer, with twin-bundles of fagots strapped on the side of 
his donkey, attempts to force a way. He is followed b} r a poultry- 
dealer mounted on an ass, with an immense hamper of fowls, adver- 
tised by a dozen chicken-necks thrust at full length through the 
lattices. Macaws and parrots make the tenor of the busy occasion ; 
while the ambitious trumpets of a half-dozen donkeys lend their 
bass semitones. In the midst of this Babel of sounds, the sabia 
— sweetest of the Southern feathered tribes of song and peer of 
the Northern thrush and the mocking-bird — pours out his hearty, 
mellow praises from a lady's window by the side of a whitewashed 
church. 

No market-scene can anywhere be more varied, checkered, and 
interesting than at Pernambuco, in the busy sugar-season. 

Nearly the whole of Brazil is adapted to the cultivation of sugar ; 
but it is on the sea-coast, from Campos to the sixth degree of south 
latitude, that it is produced in the greatest abundance. The export 
of sugar from Pernambuco is annually increasing, and its production 
is flourishing under the improved machineiy introduced by the 



The Jangada or Catamaran. 525 

brothers De Mornaj. In 1821, this province produced 20,000,000 
pounds ; in 1877, the total was 257,600,000 pounds. In 1877, the 
whole number of pounds exported from Brazil was 440,000,000, of 
which we purchased to the amount of more than $2,500,000. Dr. F. 
dos Rego Barros de Lacerda, with an energy unusual in the tropics, 
has introduced on his plantation vacuum-pans and centrifugal ma- 
chines which, if followed, will immensely increase the Brazilian sugar 
product. 

The ordinary price at Pernambuco is about four cents per pound 
for brown, and six cents for pure white, sugar. The clayed or white 
sugars are exported almost exclusively to Brazilian ports and the 
River Plate; the brown is sent to the United States and Great 
Britain : the consignments to England are put up for " the Channel." 

Pernambuco also exported, in 1866, 32,159,040 pounds of cotton 
to Liverpool; in 1877, 26,000,000 pounds; in 1878, less than half. 
This cotton is of a good quality, and brings a higher price than the 
generality of that exported from the United States. Great Britain 
imported from Brazil, in 1856. 21,830,000 pounds of cotton ; but, as 
we have seen, Pernambuco alone, in 1866, exported nearly fifty per 
cent more. In 1854, the export of cotton from Pernambuco was not 
quite three million pounds. The fibre is inferior only to that of sea 
island. The hides exported from Pernambuco to the United States, 
in 1878, were 112,000. They are exported by the house of Henry 
Forster & Co. The decline in cotton is due to the present low 
prices. 

But the Brazilian Mail-steamer awaits us. We bid farewell to 
our friends, and soon pass on one side the little fort at the end 
of the reef, and on the other the rusty cannons of old Fort do Brum, 
and are at once on the ocean. At the same time a hundred jangadas, 
or catamarans, sally out for the fishing-grounds at some indefinite 
distance from land— ten, fifteen, twenty, or forty miles. These 
curious crafts are each composed of four logs of cork-palm, eight 
inches in diameter, pinned together, with a plank thrust down 
between them for keel and rudder, and a broad, brown lateen 
sail, made from fibrils, affixed to a rude mast. The catamaran 
nies like the ^ind, and the clipper— swift courser of the sea— 
cannot outstrip it. The fisherman, with breeches rolled up to his 
thigh, (for every wave submerges his palm-logs,) sits securely 
on a pegged stool : occasionally he dips up the brine with a 



5-6 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

calabash and dashes it over his sail. Have no fear for this frail 
ship-carpentry. The catamaran will re-enter the harbor to-mor- 
row morning, or, at furthest, the next day after, laden with a 
cargo of most extraordinary fish, — pink-eyed, ox-eyed, and four- 
eyed, round-shouldered, Eoman-nosed, scaly and unsealed; and 
among them are some wearing a quantity of tails, hairy and 
tufted, like a buffalo-bull's. Only once, the story goes, a cata- 
maran was run down at night: the picked-up owner was carried 
to Baltimore, to return at length and find his inconsolable widow 
solaced by a new marriage, and some young birds in the family 
nest not yet old enough to fly. 

Dr. Kidder once performed a voyage in a jangada to the beautiful 
island of Itamaraca, and his experience shows that they are breezy, 
watery, and safe. 

A minute after passing Fortaleza de Brum, a last sight is taken 
of a couple of Hollandish-looking windmills; and, as we glide 
away we have a glimpse of Cocoanut Island, lifting up its forest 
of green feathers against the clear sunset-sky, and finally nothing 
remains but the rocky pyramid of Olinda, crowned mth a cross- 
bearing church, and, beyond, the low shores that stretch away 
toward Parahiba do Norte. 

There is an utter dissimilarity in the geological position of the 
provincial capitals of Northern Brazil. But there is a striking 
resemblance in the heavy stone-masonry of the houses, in the tones 
of the families of bells that inhabit every church-turret, in the 
profound sand that fills the streets, and in the twinkle of the 
eyes and the thin sallow faces of the male inhabitants. 

The little island of Itamaraca, which, under the old Dutch Go- 
vernment, was the most spirited and affluent along the whole coast, 
has now been almost lost sight of in geography, and has been de- 
graded from a first commercial consequence into a lean and beg- 
gared colony of fishermen and fruit-raisers. Parahiba, the capital 
of Parahiba do Norte, with a population of ten thousand, is situated 
upon the Parahiba Biver, some ten miles from the sea. The greenery 
of both shores overhangs the narrow river so closely that it seems 
to be approached through a cavern of verdure. *Red crabs doze 
on the muddy beaches, and countless tribes of waders industriously 
pick up a living at every retreat of the tide. At the end of this 



Rio Grande do Norte and Ceara. 



527 



arched avenue of trees, and on the hill-side of a narrow valley, 
whitewashed Parahiba appears, and, as our steamer draws near, 
the bells of a cathedral that rises above it summon the priests to 
perform the solemn offices for the dead. 

Natal, or Eio Grande do Norte, is, on the other hand, built on low 
lands near the sea. The steamer does not enter it, but lies off at 
an anchorage two or three miles from the shore. Passengers, with 
their luggage, are delivered, for want of boats, on board of a 
vivacious raft of palm-logs that goes hobbling round at the mercy 
of the sea. Each wave sweeps its whole length and breadth. En 
route to his post is a military commandant, just assorted and dis- 




PA D I O L A. 



charged from the ruder human clay of the steamer, and he stands 
erect on the float, brilliant in attire and trappings, and made more 
magnificent by his top-boots, which, at every plunge, fill up with 
water from the briny deep. 

Ceara can hardly be said to have a harbor : it is only a road- 
stead. This city is on ground comparatively level, and but few 
eet higher than the ocean. The bluff, tall mountains of Ibiapaba, 
bur or five leagues distant, picturesque as the shores of the Hudson, 
ind visible from the sea for a hundred miles, (though not marked 



528 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

on the maps,) form a beautiful background. Their sides are fretted 
with coffee-plantations, and, under the glass, their profile is ser- 
rated with feathery palm-woods. Here the style of landing is 
very different from that at Natal. A boat transports the pas- 
sengers to the verge of the surf that always breaks on the shore. 
A municipal chair, (padiola,) large enough for the accommodation 
of a couple of beef-fed aldermen, is borne on the backs of four 
stout slaves, until the water reaches their chins, and the surf, as 
they advance, passes over and around them. In the swift drift of 
water that precedes the breakers, the chair receives the precious 
freight of human life and treasure, and is carried at once, through 
the surf, to the shore. 

Aracati, in the province of Ceara, and Parnahiba, in that of 
Piauhy, are principally cattle-marts. There is an equally striking 
difference in the productions of the different provinces. Pernam- 
buco and Aracati are sugar-dealers; Parahiba exports cotton princi- 
pally. Ceara mingles sugar and coffee, and is eminently reput- 
able for its beef. Parahiba and Piauhy have a ruder civilization, 
and accumulate hides, tallow, and beef, and gather rice on the low 
plains along the rivers. Maranham, in addition to its large 
exports of cotton, rice, and salt, is a druggist, collecting many 
species of invigorating roots, barks, and balsams in its woods. 
Para is gratefully known to the world for its cacao and caoutchouc. 

There is a difference, too, in the appearance of the coasts. After 
leaving Olinda, no highlands are seen, except the mountains behind 
Ceara, until the bluff sand-hill of San Marcos is turned on entering 
Maranham. After leaving Parahiba do Norte, the eye tires of the 
dreary shores and hillocks of white sand, herbless and treeless, 
save here and there a riband of green cocoanuts in the little 
valleys, or columnar cacti that from time to time shoot up out 
of the unrelieved desert as if to keep note of its utter desola- 
tion. Though, as has been observed, there is no Sahara in 
Brazil, there has often been much suffering from drought in 
this portion of the Empire. As seen from the deck, glistening 
sand frequently stretches away beyond the reach of sight. Such 
is the character of the country for hundreds of miles. This 
is slowly modified as the voyage extends farther north. The white 
sand-drifts are, at long intervals, striped with vegetation ; then it 



Coast-Scenes. 



529 



becomes more interspersed, until at Maranham the whole shore is 
clothed with the beauty, brilliancy, and luxuriance of tropical 
growth. 

The sea-built masonry of the reef of Pernambuco appears at 
frequent intervals along the coast, at distances varying from one 




THE CACXO. 



hundred to one thousand yards from shore. At Ceara alono it 
seems to pass under the land, through the sandy point of Mucoripe. 
The ocean, with its low, hoarse voice of habitual sorrow, often 
breaks over it. 

Petitinga — a triangle of green in the midst of a wide desolation 
of sand-hillocks — is famous for the tortoise-shell (second only to 
that of the South Sea) gathered among these disrupted rocks. 



530 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Bu t the morality of the hamlet is like that of the Bedouins. Legiti- 
mate trade is sometimes suspended to plunder a flour-vessel which 
has been driven ashore by a storm and the currents. Then the 
whole population turn salvors, and salvage covers the cargo. 

The point of the coast about Cape S. Boque is dangerous to 
vessels making their way close to the shore, in consequence of 
sunken reefs and the strong current, at the rate of three or four 
miles an hour, that, having already swept across the ocean from 
the African coast, impinges on Brazil not far from Bahia, and is then 
deflected northwardly till it passes the mouth of the Amazon, after 
which it continues until it becomes known to us as the Gulf Stream. 
This is a serious obstacle to attempting a landing north of Cape 
S. Boque, because then, with an adversity both of wind and cur- 
rent, it is diflicult to turn the cape without standing far out to sea. 
Before the introduction of steamers, news from Northern Brazil was 
sometimes received at Bio de Janeiro via Europe. Mr. Southey 
mentions the case of a vessel sent eastward from Maranham in 
1656, having troops on board for some sj^ecial emergency, which, 
after having been out fifty days, — a time long enough to exhaust her 
provisions, — found it necessary to put back, and in twelve hours 
reached the port she had left. 

Eight degrees of latitude and more than fifteen hundred miles of 
coast are comprehended between Pernambuco and Para on the 
Amazon. The climate of all is much alike, and without any 
appreciable differences on account of seasons. The range of the 
thermometer in the shade is from 82° to 90°, scarcely ever indi- 
cating a change of more than five degrees. So equable, indeed, is 
the temperature of the northern coast, that one cannot but be 
astonished at witnessing it advance slowly, during six months of 
the year, from 82° to the maximum, then, turning and tracing its 
way back, to the minimum with equal decorum. But the quan- 
tity and distribution of rain are very unequal, and its seasons 
vary at different points along the coast. At Pernambuco the rain 
continues about three months only, and falls in inconsiderable 
quantities, while at Para, by exact observation, less than sixty 
days of the year are without rain. But the reader must not ima- 
gine a continuous state of overhanging clouds: the sun is seen as 
often as at New York. The rainy season at Pernambuco is nearlj 



The Kainy Season. 



531 



ended when that at Maranham begins. At this latter point the 
tropical rain, though less continuous than at Para, is established 
in full vigor. Light occasional showers inaugurate its approach. 
Every day invigorates it, till, at the height of the season, in a 
bright sky, black clouds rash up suddenly from every point of 
the horizon to the zenith, bring their stores together in an angry 
shock, accompanied by violent lightning and thunder, and pour 
them down in a deluge on the earth. At this time, although 
the rain sometimes con- 
tinues incessantly dur- 
ing the day, there is a 
usual periodicity of the 
showers, at ten o'clock 
in the morning and 
three in the afternoon, 
— lasting a couple of 
hours, and with bright 
skies between. So great 
is their precision that 
all the appointments 
of the day are made 
with reference to these 
short times of tempest. 
The rainy season of 
Maranham continues 
about six months, and 
during this time no less 
than two hundred and 
thirty inches of rain 
falls ! So says a British 
resident. "What author- 
ity he has for his data 
I know not. The re- 
mainder of the year is rainless. Still, vegetation does not droop. 
Plants have in themselves the power of adaptation to great dif- 
ferences of seasons, and borrow and absorb the transparent moisture 
which the trade-wind brings from the sea, thus maintaining their 
usual rankness of growth. 




THE SAPUCAYA NUT. 



532 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

And now, turning from the weather to something more stable, 
we observe that the city of San Luiz de Maranham ranks as the 
fourth in the Empire, and is the capital of the rich and important 
province of the same name. The estuary upon which it stands 
was discovered by Pinzon in 1500. Though Maranham was made a 
captaincy as early as 1530, the French, in 1612, were the first to 
form a permanent settlement, and, in compliment to the patron 
saint and the royal family of France, named the town St. Louis and 
the bay St. Mary. 

The territory of the province is rather uneven in its surface, 
although it has not a single range of mountains. It is watered by 
a large number of rivers, both great and small. It remains to a 
great extent covered with forests, in which valuable woods and 
precious drugs are abundant. The soil is peculiarly adapted to the 
cultivation of rice, which it produces in vast quantities. Cotton 
thrives much more than the sugarcane. The indigenous fruits are 
numerous and rich, and in the distant interior are many edible 
nuts, among which none is more curious than the three-cornered 
Brazil-nut (Bertholetia excelsa) and the sapucaya, (Lecythis ollaria.) 
The latter is a capsule or nut as large as an infant's head, filled with 
small, oily, eatable grains. With this capsule pretty vases and 
sugar-bowls are often made. The pineapples and bananas, of 
several species, deserve mention for especial excellence. Mineral 
riches have not been withheld from this portion of the globe. Fine 
strata of old red sandstone furnish an excellent and common 
material for building;- while iron and lead ores and antimony have 
been discovered, although they have not yet been turned to public 
advantage. Fish abound in the waters of the province; and herds 
of sheep, cattle, and horses multiply rapidly on the plantations of 
the interior. 

San Luiz de Maranham is believed to be better built, as a whole, 
than any other city of Brazil. It exhibits a general neatness and 
an air of enterprise which rarely appears in the other towns of the 
Empire. There are, moreover, within its bounds but few huts 
and indifferent houses. None of the churches appear unusually 
large or sumptuous, but many of the private dwellings are of a 
superior order. The style of construction is at once elegant and 
durable. The walls are massive, being composed of stone broken 



The City of San Luiz de Maranham. 



533 




fine and laid in cement. Although the town does not occupy a 
large extent of ground, the surface it covers is very unequal. 
Its site extends over two hills, and, consequently, a valley. The 
rise and descent in the streets are 
in many places very abrupt. Few 

carriages are in use, and, in accord- r~"^ - 

ance with this circumstance, there is 
only one good carriage-road in the 
entire vicinity. That road leads a 
short distance out of town. The 
cadeira is but little known here as a 
means of conveyance. The rede, or 
hammock, is generally used as a means 
of easy locomotion. It is very com- 
mon,, both in Maranham and Para, 
to see ladies in this manner taking 
their passeio, or promenade. Gentle- 
men do not often make their ap- A REDE - 
pearance in public in this style, 

although it is generally conceded that they are quite fond of 
swinging in their hammocks at home. 

Hon. John U. Petit, who resided for a number of years at Ma- 
ranham, has kindly furnished me a few of his full notes; and his 
descriptions of Maranham are so fresh, graphic, and full of life that 
I give them entire : — 

" The lateral streets, crossing the two principal thoroughfares, descend rapidly 
to the estuaries on each side. The heav}' rains dash their torrents along down their 
pavements and cleanse the whole city. Filth is thus made impossible. Quebra- 
costa or Breakback Street deserves its name, for it drops down abruptly like a 
declivity. 

" My first landing was made at evening, and at the end of the outpouring of the 
diurnal rains. Already the sun was out, and the clouds were half dispersed from 
the sky, except here and there a few remaining fugitives, fantastically arranged, 
now in crags and mountain-steeps, now in distant harvest-landscapes, now in long, 
blue lakes, with sloping shores of green and orange. 

" But the prevailing and superabundant humidity at this season, though unfelt 
and obviously unseen, is yet seen in its effects. Every thing that is touched is 
clammy. The wet season is the green age of mould. And yet it is not so much wet 
as musty. Mould grows on every thing that gives it a place for rest. A grease- 
spot on a coat, or a soiled coat-collar, becomes verdant after a night's exposure. 
Albino wakes you to take a cup of coffee, and you sip the liquid swinging in your 
hammock, just as the morning is peeping, and the velvet-breasted wren is singing 



534 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

from the tall crown of a bread-fruit-tree or early humming-birds are sucking nectar 
from the very throats of the red pomegranate-flower. Albino then improvises a 
lustre on your boots. But you have hardly sunk down in your hammock and 
waked up again, when — presto — your boots are grown over with a green vegetable 
nap, an antiquity-looking mildew. The old black, revered, neat's-leather trunk, 
fellow-visitor of many States, and the acquaintance of many custom-house ex- 
plorers, — now standing modestly back by the wall with its lid uplifted, as though 
it wished everybody to look in and see its very heart, — under the novel influence, is 
first white, then brown, then yellowish, and, at last, green in an apparent okl age. 
But, if this attract remark, it is only for a moment ; for the mould perishes at the 
first hot breath of old Sol, — suddenly as the ephemera that lives a whole life and 
dies in crossing a sunbeam. 

"Maranham, in its principal streets, is built of compacted stone-mascnry. 
Houses are usually of two, three, or four stories, with walls of two and a half 
or three feet in thickness, the better to resist attacks of external heat. Maran- 
ham is nearly a finished city ; but a house was erected, not long since, in the 
Street St. John. A train of asses and mules brought the red, ferrugineous sand- 
stone — just landed from Bom-Fim— up the Palace Square in panniers, — a reluctant 
slave compelling them from behind. The lime was carried in baskets, on the heads 
of slaves, from the opposite sea-shore ; while, in order to mix the mortar, women 
marched up, loaded with water-jars, from the abundant fountain behind Praia 
Cujti. 

"The population is affluent. The residents of the city are the proprietors of the 
plantations and of the numerous slaves dwelling on the fazendas of the mainland. 
Factors supervise them there, and the annual rents are paid without giving the 
masters any trouble in going after them, and the money is soon wasted in the 
abundance — and, sometimes, the dissipation — of the city. 

"With such ample means, the children of its burghers are very well educated in 
the more brilliant and showy and less practical attainments of knowledge, — some- 
times at home, less often abroad. Ladies more frequently than gentlemen are met 
with who have learned the arts of pleasing and conquest at Lisbon, Madrid, and 
Paris. This superior class constitutes a social realm where Roger de Coverley 
might live happy. 

* * * * ■*# * * * * 

"Before midnight, the streets are quiet as churchyards, and it is only the late 
walker who is met by the patrol with a musket on his shoulder and a bayonet at the 
end of it, and required to give the countersign ; and, answering, it is likely, with a 
very difficult utterance, Amigo, which means that he is a particular friend of the 
Emperor's, is then directed to move on. 

"Below the class of opulent citizens, who dwell in large stone houses having 
balconies at all their windows and verandas above, that shut out the invasion of 
the sun, first in rank is the large class of shopkeepers and artisans. For these, 
several schools exist. The city, too, abounds in charities. It has its home of 
orphans, its house of foundlings, a house of lepers, hospitals for the sick, and 
misericordias, with open doors, embracing all the children of distress. 

" The Portuguese make an important element of the population in all the cities. 
They are spirited, ambitious, self-reliant, and money-making. They do not create 
wealth, but acquire it. The Brazileiro looks on them with habitual aversion. This 
had its origin in the time of the colonial dependence on Portugal, when home- 
bred courtiers of the monarch crowded all the walks of ambition in Church and 



tw Old Uncle Ned" in Maranham. 535 

State, to the exclusion of the natives of the colony. The Government then was. 
terribly unjust and oppressive. The Portuguese appointees were generally in 
circumstances of decayed fortune, which they went abroad to repair ; and the his- 
tory of the capitanias is only a repetition of the old story of the outrages and rapa- 
city of the Roman proconsuls. To this deep cause of hatred another is added, in 
the steady flow of Portuguese colonization into the Empire, monopolizing, by vigor 
and ingenuity, the shopkeeping and the more skilful mechanical employments, in 
which a Brazilian rarely appears. Most of them come as adventurers and obtain 
competence, many of them affluence. 

"A vessel touches in Brazil, loaded with Portuguese lads bent on making for- 
tunes. Each has a large chest, capable of holding a whole family, At a custom- 
house inspection, two of the boys lift up the huge lid. In the immense cavern to 
which it opens are seen dispersed a shirt, 'a pair of socks,' needles and thread, 
and, in addition, the adventurer's stock in trade, — two or three strings of Spanish 
onions. In ten or twelve years the boy has become a man, and embarks his chest 
again to return to Portugal. But now he has it strapped with ropes to keep down 
the cover. Small boxes and carpet-bags cluster around it, as if they were the 
old chest's children ; and the old chest, having no wings, but feeling maternal, 
hovers over them with its shadow. And, before embarking, the indefatigable 
Portuguese has paid duty on a considerable amount of specie. Such is the 
facetious and somewhat overdrawn picture by which the Brazileiros, the lineal 
descendants of a common ancestry, solace themselves over their deadly enemies 
the Portuguese. 

"The class of Brazilians proper — the offspring of the old Portuguese emigrant, 
— embracing the civil functionary, the army and navy officer, the priest, and the 
gentleman of the city and the country — forms about one-third of the popula- 
tion. The Portuguese population, in number, is about one-sixth. Below these 
are the varieties, — making about one-half the census, — the negro, mulatto, 
mestizo, and Indian. The wants of the latter are few and cheap: — a house 
floored on the naked earth, palm-thatched at the sides and overhead, with 
hammocks slung diagonally across it for sitting and sleeping, and with attire 
exceeding Eve's garden-dress merely by a shirt or pantaloons ; besides these, 
the sea and earth, equally bountiful, spread their tables with plenty. But indi- 
viduals of one class easily shift into another. Genteel persons sometimes get 
out of their places and become vagabonds ; while, overcoming the slightest 
possible obstacle on account of color, exchanges in society are made, as every- 
where else, by some in subordinate ranks forcing themselves out of their posi- 
tions upward. 

"A musical furor rages like the dog-star. Piano and harp are vocal in the 
parlors and saloons. But the guitar — as in the vine-covered cottages of Portugal 
— is a joy forever in all the households of the poor; while its humbler types — the 
banjo and marimba — are an equally universal property of the black and all his 
derivatives. The slave that goes bareheaded, barefooted, and unshirted vexes it 
(the marimba, — that primitive guitar) in the soft moonlight, before his master's 
door, in the presence of a bevy of loitering wenches, on whose hearts, as a second 
instrument, he plays, — taking them captive by the sorcery of his art. The 
melodies of the North American plantations (the African-born airs of Virginia and 
Tennessee, long since threadbare in the United States) are, like the smallpox, con- 
tagious through all ranks of society. A dozen negroes, carrying a large crockery- 
hogshead slung over their shoulders on bamboos, are mourning, in minor melody. 



536 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the fate of 'Poor Old Ned.' In the Street Saut' Anna, from behind a latticed 
door, one hears a musical voice telling Susannah not to cry.* Aristocratic pianos 

are loud with 'Rosa d' Alabama' 
and 'Senhoritas de Buffalo,' 
\ \ — , with much more music than 

_£ - C^ - . prosody. 

"Outside and inside, S. Luiz 
is a very lovable city. Good- 
temper, courtesy, and kindness 
are almost universal. This is 
confined to no position of life 
A ready, overflowing hospitality 
welcomes the stranger at every 
door. 

"It is very pleasant to draw 
a picture of Maranham by me- 
mory, with the bay, dotted over 
with little islands of verdure 
broad enough in some places 
not to permit, you to see the 
opposite shores, folding it in 
the embrace of its two large 
estuaries ; strange fishermen's 
craft, picturesque montarias and 
canoes, lying along thepraias; 
dainty, tall cocoanuts fringing 
the profile of the city, as it 
seems to be thrown carelessly 
over the sharp ridge that ad- 
vances into the bay ; groves of 
*^%' bananas and oranges clinging 

the marimba. on its steep sides; a redolence 

of sweets from native flowers 
filling the air; occasional mirantcs pretentiously stretching up above the general 
perspective of red tiles; and the tall tower of the cathedral and the populous 
turrets of scores of churches pushing their rounded pinnacles into the sky. 

"'Swallows,' says Dr. Johnson, 'certainly sleep all winter. A number of them 




* The 'wide diffusion of the so-called " Ethiopian Melodies" of the United States is almost incredible* 

In 1840. at one o'clock in the morning, I was riding from Charing Cross to the Surrey side of London, 
and hoard a party of young Englishmen singing, at the top of their voices. "Oh. Susannah!" 4c. Once, 
in passing over the Gloria Hill, at Rio de Janeiro. I caught the notes of the same tune, which was being 
performed by one of the inmates of a Brazilian cottage. But the most unexpected treat, in this parti* 
cular, I experienced in 1850, at Terracina. — the ancient An\ur. and not far from the Three Taverns 
mentioned in Acts xxviii. 15. It was an Italian midnight; and. while I was listening to the sound 
of the Mediterranean wave. as it broke upon the decaying quays of Terracina. and thinking of the long 
past of old Rome. I was startled by a clear voice (which made the ruins around us ring) sending forth 
upon the night-air "Old Uncle Ned." It suddenly dashed away every thought o( Italy and Rome and 
carried me most hastily over the ocean. 1 afterward discovered that the serenader was a Boston 
Yankee, who had wandered to this quiet nook, and who had been so singularly affected by the sacred 
and classic associations that he gave vent to the "Ancient Uncle Edward." as most in accordance with 
emotions called forth by the antiquity — classic and sacred — of Terracina. — J. C. E. 



Jjow the Swallows Wimtbe, 587 

eonglobulati together by flying round and round, and then, nil in a heap, throw 
th< .//] elve under water and lie La the bad of a river,' The first greeting at Maran- 
bam to the April risitor is the dear old friend the swallow. He buildi bii bon t 
under the tiled eav< It haunts eburcb spire in myriad , bj though ar< 
bird. A ; the inn goei down and ihinei with diminfehed beanie, and until be 
Anally sinks to rest, fai op in the sky little floeki of swallon Reeling in 

giant eircumlerenc n timei their enemy the rulture, at the lame bom oi the 

evening, is up there with hie family, airing, after a day spent shamefully among cai 
Then squadrons of swallows muster and drive him from tli z ■• fields, 
Now tbey disport themselves along the earth, now flit on lazy iring above the bouse 
lop . or pick a zigzag way along the airy avenues, among tl of palm and 

or dart away, swift and unerring as an arrow, after sons 
butterfly, from which — as riebes eannot shield from death bin relvet bosom and 
painted irings cannot buy him escape. A half-dozen ire* the swallow that 

pits at the margin of that red tile, teaching bet young, with affectionate art, to %, 
may, under Northern skies, a( home, ?kim above the fragrant elover-meado 
yellow barvi ough the blossoming orchard or butternut-clump, or lave her 

white bosom in the little lake, or -weep along the bill, chasing the shadow of a 
lazy cloud. Thus are the wallows delightfully occupied during otti cold winter, 
and irben the time to migrate arrives they gather in conn on all the 

preparatory to their long jc . proclaim, with other harbii 

thern lands, still brown with the hue-, of annual death, that Light footed 

with a pon irrection, Cnota with which 

man mitigate reical charm of all beau iture, its mute jet 

'iiviue. . with more than eboral 

swee>:. 

ht of the pretty white rillage of Ak 
inhabitants, a half-dozen miles distant across the baj to visit 

the mainland Alcantara is noted Tor the production of salt, gathered, 
seme of the We-.t India Islands, from natural pool-, supplied with water from the 

at the recurrence of the spring-tides, a few miles farther up the eo 
the village of Guimaraens, in the midst of a region abottndii en, rice, and 

sjandioca. 

ie twin-buy-. -A Ban Mark-, and Ban -J'. ■/;, immediately behind the island 
of Maranham, are reached from the interior of tin by several 

■•'■., the Mearim, [tapieuru —hardly me derable than the 

the Upper Waba-.h. As Alcantara invitee you to . 

send their mangrove-lined banks I 
"The man at along all the tide B / 

and at high ;.? mid-waist, only it 

ad it, on the high shore, are lines 
o the manner in wbic 
shaft, a half-dozen inches in diameter and a half- 
dozen feet high, it put.-, forth horizontal branch".-. These, In turn, 

; that hec- , into the mud and 2 >i the parent 

stem; and these, in turn, other branches and 'J.' op . 

the tree vn into a large framework, and 

ae human : 
— Ine 

I 



538 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



growing on trees. The mangrove contains, in great abundance, the principle 
of tannin, which, in the form of a concocted extract, may become a valuable article 
of commerce." 

The montaria referred to is thus described by Dr. Kidder : — 

"In the river, in front of the Varadoura, a respectable collection of merchant- 
vessels may generally be seen at anchor. None of the water-craft, however, appeal 
more picturesque than does the montaria, — a species of flat-boat used much on 




THE MONTA 



these waters. In the first one which I saw, I counted ten Indians paddling it 
rapidly against the tide. They each held a paddle, about the size and shape of an 
oval spade, perpendicularly in both hands, and, all striking at once into the water, 
gave the boat great momentum." 



We now bid adieu to the 



clean, the 



;ay, the hospitable city of 



San Luiz, and steam for Para. 



Note for 1879. — Since this chapter was written, J. C. F. has visited the whole 
coast from Rio de Janeiro to Para, and the cities of Bahia and Pernambuco five 
different times. He cannot, however, forget the many warm receptions, particu- 
larly at Pernambuco, from the Americans, Messrs. Swift, Hitch, & Rollins (the 
various partners of Henry Forster & Co.), whose house has such a reputation that 
a Pernambucano who has some one owing him will take no "paper" unless it is 
ou de Banco ou de Forster (it must be either on the Bank or on H. Forster & Co.). 
He also remembers with pleasure his intercourse with the Visconde do Livra- 
mento (a live Brazilian), M. Guelph de Lailhacar, and Dr. Vasconcellos. The 
city and suburban railways built by the Visconde do Livramento, the trams to the 
Custom House, and the new quays, all mark the progress of Pernambuco. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

magnificence of nature in the brazilian north the city of para* thk 

entrance of the amazon — the first protestant sermon on these "waters 

— parallel to the black-hole of calcutta effects of steam-navigation 

— improvements in para the canoa bathing and market scenes — 

produce of para india-rubber para shoes the amazon river mr. 

Wallace's explorations — the vaca marina — cetacea of the Amazon — 

turtle-egg butter indian archery brazilian birds and insects 

visit to rice-mills near para — journey through the forest — the 
paranese bishop's suspicions of dr. kidder state of religion at 

PARA. 

We rapidly steam over the four hundred miles between Maran- 
ham and Para, and we have reached the eastern edge of the. Bra- 
zilian North, — the maritime border of that vast basin which 
contains an area equal to that of two-thirds of Europe. We are 
about entering upon a region the most wonderful in its nature, — 
where every object is upon the grandest scale. The mightiest 
river of the world rises in the loftiest mountains of the Western 
continent and flows for thousands of miles through forests unparal- 
leled in beauty, extent, and productiveness. Here the Victoria 
Regia, the giant of Flora's kingdom, nestles on the bosom of the 
shady pools, or reposes on the still waters that are shielded by some 
verdant peninsula from the rushing waves of the never-ceasing 
flood that pours from the Andes. Millions of the most brilliant- 
plumaged birds and insects, curious quadrupeds and reptiles, in- 
habit this almost terra incognita. Perhaps no region of our globe 
possessing such wonders has been so easy of access and so little 
explored. We are, however, on the eve of a great change : steam 
is doing its legitimate work, and the present generation may not 
live to see the Yalley of the Amazon, like that of the Mississippi, 
teeming with millions, but there will be a thorough knowledge of 

its vast resources. Much that is visionary has been written con- 

539 



540 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

cerning the "mighty Orellana;" and those who are expecting to 
behold its fertile shores a half-century hence filled with a thrifty 
population and smiling under civilization are doubtless doomed 
to disappointment. And, while Southern Brazil will ever be the 
fit field of enterprise for the European and North American, still, 
there is no reason to doubt that the statement of Mr. Wallace (con- 
firmed by Professors Agassiz, Hart, Orton, and Mr. Bates) is strictly 
true, when he says : "For richness of vegetable production and 
fertility of soil it is unequalled on the globe, and offers to our notice 
a natural region capable of supporting a greater population and 
supplying it more completely with the necessaries and luxuries of 
life than others of equal extent." 

Amazonia should have a volume to itself; but this work would 
be incomplete without some notices of this portion of the Empire 
of Brazil, which has always excited a deep interest on both 
continents. 

The city of Belein, or Para, is usually the point of departure for 
those visiting the Amazonian region from the East. There was 
formerly a land and water route from Maranham to Para, which 
has now been abandoned : according to Mr. Southey, it used to be 
performed by canoes passing through the continent, and coasting 
around not less than thirty-two bays, many of them so large tnat 
sight cannot span them. These bays are connected by a labyrinth 
of streams and waters, so that the voyage may be greatly short- 
ened by ascending one river with the flow, crossing to another, and 
descending with the ebb. The distance thus circuitously measured 
is about three hundred leagues, and may be traversed in thirty 
days. Dr. Kidder says, — 

" I met with one individual who had in early life passed through this inland 
passage in a much more direct course, his voyage occupying only fourteen days. It 
was at that golden era when Indian labor was plenty and could be secured at four 
cents per day. Some years after, the same individual wished to perform this 
voyage, but was forced to abandon it, from the difficulty of finding canoe-men to serve 
him even at fifty cents per day. He entertained the most delightful recollections 
of the route, exhibiting as it did the glories of nature in all their pristine loveliness. 
Nothing interrupted the security of the traveller, and nothing disturbed the silence 
of those sylvan retreats save the chattering of monkeys or the carolling of birds. 
The silver expanse of waters, and the magnificent foliage of tropical forests, taller 
than the world elsewhere contains, and so dense as almost to exclude the light of the 
sun, combined to impress the mind with inexpressible grandeur. 

" The canoes were drawn up on shore every night when refreshment and repose 




urai 



The Entrance of the Amazon. 



541 



were desired, and the skilful Indians, in a few moments, could secure sufficient 
game for the subsistence of the party. Thus the voyage was prosecuted with little 
fatigue and with every diversion." 

In some portions of Brazil where there are so many streams to 
be crossed, ferry-boats, on some occasions, were formerly extem- 
porized. An ox-hide was the principal material for the construc- 
tion, and a slave was the means of projDulsion. 




NOVEL FERR Y-BO AT. 



Para is situated on the river of the same name, which, some con- 
tend, is but a continuation of the Tocantins, and not one of the 
mouths of the Amazon. Mr. Wallace inclines to the former, but 
general belief to the latter, opinion. 

During the prevalence of certain winds, and owing to the strong 
currents, which force the fresh water far out to sea, the entrance 
of the Para Eiver is sometimes both difficult and dangerous. 
My colleague thus describes his experience : — 

"We entered this mouth of the Amazon at a fortunate juncture. The weather 
was so clear that we distinctly saw the breakers on both the Tigoca and Braganza 
banks, and the tide had just commenced flowing upward. For nearly an hour we 
could observe, just ahead, the conflict of the ascending and descending waters. 
Finally, the mighty force of the ocean predominated, and the current of the river 
seemed to recoil before it. 

" This phenomenon is called, from its aboriginal name, pororoca, and gives cha- 
racter to the navigation of the Amazon for hundreds of miles. No sailing-craft can 
descend the river while the tide is running up. Hence, both in ascending and 
descending, distances are measured by tides. For instance, Para is three tides 



542 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

from the ocean, and a small vessel entering with the flood must lie at anchor during 
two ebb-tides before she can reach the city. Canoes are sometimes endangered in 
the commotion caused by the pororoca, and hence they generally, in anticipation, 
lie to in certain places called esperas or resting-places, where the water is known 
to be but little agitated. Most of the vessels used in the commerce of the Upper 
Amazon are constructed with reference to this peculiarity of the navigation, being 
designed for floating on the current rather than for sailing before the wind, although 
their sails may often be made serviceable. 

" The ebb and flow of the tides in the Amazon are observed with regularity five 
hundred miles above the mouth, at the town of Obidos. The pororoca is much 
more violent on the northern side of the island of Marajo, where the mouth is wider 
and the current becomes more shallow. 

" As we passed up the great river, the color of the water changed from the dark 
hue of the ocean we had left to a light green, and afterward, by degrees, to a muddy 
yellow. We were barely in sight of the southeastern bank of the river; and, after 
we had ascended more than forty miles, the island of Marajo began to be visible on 
the opposite side. In the course of the day we approached nearer the continent, 
and the shore was seen to be uniformly level and densely covered with mangrove- 
thickets. The only village distinctly seen was Collares, which our commander, 
Captain Ilayden, had captured during the revolution. The whole day we were 
borne along by the combined force of steam and wind, but the tide was part of the 
time against us. At evening a clear full moon shed down from an unclouded sky 
new splendor upon a scene already sublime. A most fragrant breeze from the land 
became more and more perceptible as the river narrowed. Two boats were the 
only craft we saw during the whole ascent. Finally, we came alongside the Forte 
da Barra, two miles distant from the city of Belem, and were hailed as we passed. 
The lights of the town, and of vessels in front of it, then became visible. We 
described a semicircle around the harbor, passing between two vessels-of-war, and 
came to an anchor at ten o'clock. 

" The towers of the cathedral, of the palace, and of several churches, were dis- 
tinctly visible in the moonlight. 

" The second day after our arrival was the Sabbath, and through the courtesy 
of Captain H. it was arranged that I should hold a Bethel service on board the 
Maranhense steamer. Some American seamen were present, and several persons 
came from the shore. These, together with the ship's company, formed an audience 
to whom I announced the tidings of the kingdom of God. Making allowance for 
the circumstance of a public packet just clear of her passengers and the same 
night going to sea with another supply, the occasion was very favorable for divine 
service, and I felt truly grateful for the opportunity — probably the first ever enjoyed 
by any Protestant minister — of attempting to preach Jesus and the resurrection 
upon the wide waters of the Amazon. I held similar services at Para on seven suc- 
ceeding Sabbaths, — once on board an American vessel in port, and at other times in 
the private house of a friend. 

" The location of Para, or the city of Belem, is in 1° 28 / S. latitude and 48° 28' 
W. longitude. Its site occupies an elevated point of land on the southeastern 
bank of the Para River, the most important mouth of the Amazon. This city is 
eighty miles from the ocean, and may be seen from a long distance down the river. 
It has a very imposing appearance when approached from that direction. Its 
anchorage is very good, formed by an abrupt curve in the stream, and admits vessels 
of the largest draft. The great island of Maraj6 forms the opposite bank, twenty 



Effects of the Indian Eevolution. 543 

miles distant, but is wholly obscured from sight by intervening and smaller 
islands. 

"The general appearance of Para corresponds to that of most Brazilian towns, 
presenting an array of whitened walls and red-tiled roofs. The plan on which it is 
laid out is not deficient in either regularity or taste. It possesses a number of public 
squares, and the streets, though not wide, are well paved, or rather macadamized. 
The proportion of large, well-built houses is respectable, although the back-streets 
are mostly filled with those that are diminutive in size and indifferent in con- 
struction. 

"The style of dwelling-houses is peculiar, but well adapted to the climate. A 
wide veranda is an essential portion of every habitation. It sometimes extends 
quite around the outside of the building, while a similar construction prevails on 
at least three sides of a spacious area within. A part of the inner veranda, or a 
room connected with it, serves as the dining-room, and is almost invariably airy and 
pleasant. The front-rooms only are ceiled, save in the highest and most expensive 
edifices. Latticed windows are more commou than glass, but some houses are fur- 
nished with both, although preference is always given to the former in the dry sea- 
son. Instead of small, dark, and unventilated alcoves and sweltering beds for 
sleeping, they have suspension- hooks arranged for swinging hammocks across the 
corners of all the large rooms, and transversely along the entire sweep of the 
verandas. Some dwellings contain fixtures of this sort for swinging up fifty or 
sixty persons every night with the least possible inconvenience. 

"The effects of the revolution of 1835 are still very apparent in Para. Almost 
every street shows a greater or less number of houses battered with bullets or 
cannon-shot. Some were but slightly defaced, others were nearly destroyed. Of 
the latter, some have been repaired, others abandoned. The S. Antonio Convent 
was much exposed to the cannonading, and bears many marks of shot in its walls. 
One of the missiles was so unlucky as to destroy an image perched in a lofty niche 
on the front of the convent." 

This revolution was one of the most successful on record, 
where the aborigines, guided by white leaders, nearly regained 
their power, and for a time held in subjection the European 
descendants. Para, though now prosperous, has been singularly 
unfortunate in the check to its progress which has been the 
heritage of many revolts. 

The traveller, on entering this city, is struck with the peculiar 
appearance of the people. The regularly-descended Portuguese 
and Africans do not, indeed, differ from their brethren in other 
parts ; but they are comparatively few here, while the Indian race 
predominates. The aboriginals of Brazil may here be seen both in 
pure blood and in every possible degree of intermixture with both 
blacks and whites. They occupy every station in society, and 
may be seen as the merchant, the tradesman, the sailor, the sol- 
dier, the priest, and the slave. In the last-named condition they 
excited most my attention and sympathy. The thought of slavery 



544 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

4 

is always revolting to an ingenuous mind, whether it be considered 
as forced upon the black, the white, or the red man. But there 
has been a fatality connected with the enslavement of the Indians, 
extending both to their captors and to themselves, which invests 
their servitude with peculiar horrors. 

Nearly all the revolutions that have occurred at Para are 
directly or indirectly traceable to the spirit of revenge with which 
the bloody expeditions of the early slave-hunters are associated in 
the minds of the natives and mixed bloods throughout the country. 
The Brazilian revolution in this part of the Empire was attended 
with greater horrors than in any other province. 

When the independence of the country was declared, Para was 
for a time held by the Portuguese authorities. On the arrival of 
Lord Cochrane at Maranham, he despatched one of his officers, 
(Captain Grenfell,) with a brig-of-war, to take possession of Para. 
This officer had recourse to a stratagem which, although successful, 
resulted, without his intention, in great suffering. 

Having arrived near the city, he summoned the place to surren- 
der, asserting that Lord Cochrane was at anchor below, and, in 
case of opposition, would enforce his authoruy with a vengeance. 
Intimidated by this threat, the city hastened to swear allegiance 
to the throne of Dom Pedro I., and Grenfell managed to have 
obnoxious individuals expelled before his plan was discovered. 
Opposition, however, soon sprang up : a party was organized 
with the intent of deposing the provincial junta. The latter, 
of course, claimed the protection of Grenfell. He immediately 
landed with his men, and, joining the troops of the authorities, 
easily succeeded in quelling the insurrection. A large number of 
prisoners were taken, and five ringleaders in the revolt were shot 
in the public square. Thence returning on board, he received, the 
same evening, an order from the president of the junta to prepare 
a vessel large enough to hold two hundred prisoners. A ship of 
six hundred tons' burden was accordingly selected. It afterward 
appeared that the number of prisoners actually sent on board by 
the president was two hundred and fifty-three. These men, in 
the absence of Captain Grenfell, were forced into the small hold 
of the prison-ship, and placed under a guard of fifteen Brazilian 
soldiers. 



Parallel to the Black-Hole of Calcutta. 545 

"Crowded until almost unable to breathe, and suffering alike from heat and 
thirst, the poor wretches attempted to force their way on deck, but were repulsed 
by the guard, who, after firing upon them and fastening down the hatchway, threw 
a piece of ordnance across it and effectually debarred all egress. The stifling sensa- 
tion caused by this exclusion of air drove the suffering crowd to utter madness, and 
many are said to have lacerated and mangled each other in the most horrible man- 
ner. Suffocation, with all its agonies, succeeded. The aged and the young, the 
strong and feeble, the assailant and his antagonist, all sank down exhausted and 
in the agonies of death. In the hope of alleviating their sufferings, a stream of 
water was at length directed into the hold, and toward morning the tumult abated, 
but from a cause which had not been anticipated. Of all the two hundred and fifty- 
three, four only were found alive, who had escaped destruction by concealing them- 
selves behind a water-butt." — Armitage, vol. ii. p. 108. 

This dreadful scene is perhaps unparalleled in history, or finds 
its parallel alone in the black-hole of Calcutta. Its only mitigation 
consisted in its having been caused by carelessness and ignorance, 
without " intent to kill." It has, however, but too much affinity 
with the treatment of the prisoners taken and confined at the same 
place in the subsequent civil revolutions. Vast numbers of these 
unhappy men were crowded into the prison of the city and of the 
fort, where they were kept, without hope of release, until death 
set them free. Besides, a prison-ship, called the Xin Xin, was 
filled, to its utmost capacity. Dr. Kidder has estimated that not 
less than three thousand had died on board that one vessel in the 
course of five or six years. My colleague thus speaks of the last 
great revolt at Para : — 

"The disorders that broke out at Para in 1835 were disastrous in the extreme. 
They first commenced among the troops. The soldiers on guard at the palace 
seized an opportunity favorable to their designs, and on the 7th of January simul- 
taneously assassinated the president of the province, the commander-at-arms, and 
the port-captain. A sergeant, by the name of Gomez, assumed the command, and 
commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of the Portuguese residents. After twenty 
or thirty reputable shopkeepers had been killed, these insurgents proceeded to 
liberate about fifty prisoners, among whom was Felix Antonio Clemento Malcher, 
an individual who had been elected a member of the provisional junta at the time 
of Grenfell's invasion, but who was subsequently arrested as the instigator of a 
rebellion at the Rio Acara. This Malcher was now proclaimed president, and a 
declaration against receiving any president from Rio until the majority of Dom 
Pedro II. was formally made. 

"No houses were broken open on this occasion. Order was soon restoredi and 
things remained quiet till the 19th of February. At this time, Francisco Pedro 
Vinagre, the new commander-at-arms, having heard that he was to be arrested for 
some cause, called out the soldiers and populace to attack the president. Malcher 
shut himself up in the Castello fort and attempted to defend himself. In the course 
of two or three days two hundred men were killed and the president captured. 

35 



546 4 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

He was sent to the fort at the Barra, below the city, as if to be imprisoned, but 
was murdered on the way, undoubtedly by the orders of Vinagre, who was now 
supreme. 

"On the 12th of May an attempt was made, under the constitutional vice-pre- 
sident, Senhor Correa, to take possession of the town, by landing troops from a 
squadron of thirteen vessels-of-war. This attempt was repulsed, and the vessels 
dropped down the river. Soon after, a new president (Senhor Rodriguez) arrived 
from Rio. On the 24th of June he landed with a body of two hundred and fifty 
troops, the insurgents having retired toward the interior. Disorders still continued 
in the province, and, on the 14th of August, a body of Indians, led on by Vinagre 
and others, suddenly descended upon the capital. They obtained possession of the 
city and commenced an indiscriminate massacre of the whites. The citizens were 
obliged to defend themselves as they best could. Vinagre fell in the midst of a 
street-skirmish. An English and a French vessel-of-war, lying in the harbor, sent 
on shore a body of marines, but soon withdrew them on account of the pusillani- 
mous conduct of the president. 

" The Indians commenced firing upon the palace from the highest houses of which 
they could get possession, and artillery from the palace attempted to return the 
fire. The president, however, soon withdrew and abandoned the city to destruc- 
tion. Many families succeeded in escaping on board vessels in the harbor, but 
many others fell victims to rapine and murder. Edurado, the principal leader after 
the death of Vinagre, endeavored to protect the property of foreigners, and, to some 
extent, succeeded : nevertheless, as fast as possible, the foreign residents withdrew 
from the city, and thought themselves fortunate to escape with their lives. The 
period that ensued might with propriety be called the reign of terror. But it was 
not long a quiet reign. Disorders broke out among the rebels, and mutual assassi- 
nations became common. Business was effectually broken up, and the city was 
as fast as possible reverting to a wilderness. Tall grass grew up in the streets, 
and the houses rapidly decayed. The state of the entire province became similar. 
Anarchy prevailed throughout its vast domains. Only a single town of the Upper 
Amazon maintained its integrity to the Empire. Lawlessness and violence became 
the order of the day. Plantations were burned, the slaves and the cattle were 
killed, and in some large districts not a white person was allowed to survive. 

" In May of the following year, General Andrda arrived as a new president from 
the Imperial Government and forced his way into the capital. He proclaimed 
martial law, and, by means of great firmness and severity, succeeded in restoring 
order to the province. It was, however, at the cost of much blood and many lives. 
He was accused of tyranny and inhumanity in his course toward the rebels and 
prisoners ; but the exigencies of the case were great, and furnished apologies. 
One of the most disgraceful things charged upon him and his officers was the abuse 
made of their authority in plundering innocent citizens, and also in voluntarily 
protracting the war so that their selfish ends might be advanced. Certain it is that 
the waste of life, the ruin of property, and the declension of morals, were all com- 
bined and lamentably continued ; and yet in this state of things we see nothing but 
the fruits of that violence and injury which, from the first colonization of Para by 
the Portuguese, had been practised against the despised Indians. 

"In addition to the more direct consequences of the disorders, the salubrity 
of the country and of the city itself fearfully deteriorated. The rapid growth and 
the equally rapid decay of vegetable matter on the spots from which years of culti- 
vation had banished it brought on epidemics and other fatal diseases, which swept 



Effects of Steam-Navigation. 547 

* 

off hundreds of the people that survived the wars. Thus, one of the richest and 
fairest portions of the earth was nearly desolated. 

"Until 1848 it was only by slow degrees that Par& recovered. Nothing, indeed, 
but the extraordinary and spontaneous fertility of the whole region has enabled 
the province, in any considerable degree, to reclaim its business-relations. Not- 
withstanding all the natural beauties so profusely exhibited at Par&, — reminding 
one, at every step and at every glance, of the glorious munificence of the Creator, 
— there are but few places which suggest sadder reflections upon the wickedness 
and misery of man. Until within a few years, we can scarcely point to a bright 
spot in its history. During the early periods that succeeded its settlement by 
Europeans, a continual crusade was carried on against the aboriginals of the soil, | 
for the purpose of reducing them to a state of servitude. In vain were the reason- 
ing and power of the Jesuits arrayed in opposition to this course. In vain was 
African slavery introduced as its substitute. The cruel and sanguinaiy purposes 
of the Portuguese were persevei'ed in. An innocent and inoffensive people were 
pursued and hunted down in their own forests like beasts of prey. Thus, iniquity 
triumphed; but a terrible retribution followed. The foul passions which had been 
nurtured in the persecution of the Indians were equally malevolent when excited 
against each other by the common jealousies and differences of life. For a long 
time previous to the outbreak of 1835, assassinations had been the order of the 
day. Scarcely a night passed without the occurrence of more or less. . No man's 
life was secure. Revenge rioted in blood. This was too much the case in other 
parts of the country at the same period, but at Para worse than elsewhere. Then 
followed the dreadful scenes already described, in which the long-degraded and 
down-trodden Indians, headed by factious and intriguing men, gained the ascend- 
ency in turn and drove the white population into exile." 

It is a singular fact that Brazil was the first country of South 
America, and perhaps, for an Empire so vast, the first in the world, 
to bind her provinces together by steam-navigation. Para is now 
reaping the fruits of this wise measure. The great old Convent 
of S. Antonio has but few monks, and recently the greater portion 
of its spacious grounds has been sold to the Amazon Navigation 
Company (originally a Brazilian association). This coinpan}' has 
on or near these grounds the large workshops, coal-depots, wharves, 
&c. so essential to the proper prosecution of their various and ex- 
tended steam-interests. The Custom-House was formerly a huge 
ecclesiastical building, and the barracks of the standing army once 
belonged to the order of Carmelites. A great number of new 
houses have been recently erected from the Custom-House to the 
Castello fort, and an extensive pier has been constructed where 
formerly there w T ere no facilities for landing except that which the 
beach afforded. The streets were, a few years since, in a wretched 
state : but from the date of the regular steamers on the Amazon (1853) 
there has been a vast improvement. Nearly all are macadamized, 



548 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and are decently well lighted. Formerly the rede and the most 
antiquated Portuguese vehicles were the only means of land-convey- 
ance in Para. The late Mr. Henderson boasted to me in a letter 
written in 1857, that " there are now nearly fifty coaches (of Newark 
and Boston manufacture), which are at the command of citizens 
or visitors ; and on Sunday particularly are they most busily oc- 
cupied in plying between Para and Nazare at the modest rate of 
twentj'-five cents each passenger. The ladies formerly made their 
calls and visits by being carried in a hammock : they now ride 
behind a pair of handsome grays." A few years only have elapsed 
since nearly all the water was carried in truly Oriental style, and 
the following beautiful description of Dr. Kidder is still most 
accurate so far as nature is concerned: but in regard to the water- 
carriers the picturesque is diminishing, while the convenient is 



" The evening and morning scenes that may be enjoyed at Para are indescribably 
beautiful. At night all is still, save the occasional rustling of a balmy breeze ; and 
the imagination must be vivid that can picture to itself more loveliness than is ex- 
hibited when the moon walks forth in her splendor. The dark luxuriant foliage, 
crowning hundreds of spreading trees, is burnished with a mellow lustre too ex- 
quisite for words to portray ; while the waving plumes of numerous palm-trees, 
glancing their reflections downward upon the beholder, add to the charms of the 
scenery. The opening blossoms of many fruit-trees and humbler flowers load the 
air with a fragrance which is none the less grateful from not being mingled, as in 
some of the larger towns, with offensive effluvia. The blandness of the evening air 
is in delightful contrast to the rigors of the noonday sun, and an occasional breeze 
invigorates the system after either the confinement or the exposure of the day. 
Although in the course of the night there falls a copious dew, yet so balmy and 
healthful is the atmosphere that there is no dread of exposing to it the most deli- 
cate constitution. This is the climate that of all others I would seek as a relief to 
enfeebled health, and especially for pectoral affections. 

"A morning scene is scarcely inferior in effect. I sometimes went out to enjoy 
it long before the mild radiance of the moon was lost in the more powerful beams 
of the king of day, who at his appointed time rose through a brief twilight and 
hastened on his effulgent course through the cloudless ether. The Brazilians are 
generally early risers, and it may be remarked that in their towns generally the 
foreign houses are those latest opened for business. Nevertheless, there are few 
who walk abroad for the pleasure or exercise of walking. Almost the only persons 
met in my morning walks at Para were the negroes and Indians, in countless num- 
bers, going with earthen jars upon their heads for water. 

" There is no artificial fountain in the whole city. The only source of drinking- 
water is a spring on the eastern side of the town. Jars of this water are sometimes 
carried around on horseback for sale, to accommodate those who do not keep a large 
supply of servants. A few wells in the suburbs, together with the current of the 
river, furnish water for washing and similar purposes." 



The Ox-Carts and Advancing Civilization. 549 

Though a few tottering and almost skeleton horses may still be 
seen staggering under the load of four water-jars, a better day has 
dawned upon Para. The introduction of more than two hundred 
water-carts, drawn each by a single ox, is an event to be chronicled 
as an advance in civilization, and shows as much improvement as 
macadamized streets and modern carriages. The Brazilian is far 
more flexible than the Portuguese. A few years ago, a benevolent 
citizen of the United States endeavored, at his own cost, to furnish 
the peasantry of some of the Portuguese islands with suitable and 
civilized carts instead of the inconvenient clumsy vehicles which 
they and their fathers before them had been using for centuries. 
His benevolent enterprise was entirely frustrated, for they would 
not give up their antiquated ox-killing carts. In 1856, Portugal 
was the only division of Europe, excepting Turkey, that did not 
possess a railway. The water-carts of Para are similar in shape 
to that depicted on page 175. 

While the city fronts upon the river, its rear is skirted by a 
shaded walk whose equal would be difficult to find in Brazil. The 
Estrada das Mangubeiras is a highway extending from near the 
Marine Arsenal on the river side to the Largo da Polvora on the 
eastern extremity of the city. It is intersected by avenues lead- 
ing from the Palace Square and the Largo do Quartel. Its name 
is derived from the mangabeira-trees with which it is densely shaded 
on either side. The bark of these shade trees is of a light grayish 
color, regularly striped with green : their product is a coarse cotton 
that may be used for several purposes. Sr. Commendador Pimento 
Bueno has one of the most beautiful residences in Para. 

On the grounds of the old Convent — now the Hospital — of S. 
Jose, a botanical garden was laid out in 1797 ; but it was neglected, 
and finally abandoned during the troublous times of 1823 and '35. 

In 1854, during the presidency of the distinguished and talented 
Sebastiao do Rego Barros, formerly Minister of War, the site for 
a new botanical garden was laid out farther from the city and on 
a far more extensive scale. He sent to Europe and procured five or 
six skilful professional gardeners, who designed a handsome plan for 
the new works. Para has already felt the influence. In the environs 
are many splendid villas and gardens. 

Beyond the actual precincts of the city, one may instantly buiy 



550 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

himself in a dense forest and become shut out from every indica- 
tion of the near residence of man. 

The coolness of these silent shades is always inviting, but the 
stranger must beware lest he loses his way and thus be subjected 
to many annoyances and difficulties. Formerly there were many 
stories told of persons who became bewildered in the mazes of 
these thickets, and, though but a short distance off, were utterly 
unable to find their way back to town. Several persons are 
believed to have perished in this manner. 

All important posts throughout the town are regularly guarded, 
and whoever approaches after eight o'clock at night is hailed with 
a harsh, indistinct call: — " Quern vai Id?" (Who goes there ?) The 
proper answer is, u Amiqo" (A friend,)- — which many contract to a 
swinish grunt. To this the condescending permission, " Passa 
largo!" is generally retorted by the soldier, and the person goes by. 

My colleague, in giving his experience at Para, thus writes : — 

"As my lodgings were opposite the trem, or military arsenal, my ears became 
very familiar with these exclamations, which were vociferated the whole night long. 
Not only these, but the piercing scream, 'As armasP which resounded every hour 
when guard was relieved, and the blowing of a horn at frequent intervals, — as, 
for example, at Ave Maria, when all the soldiers doff their caps in honor of the 
Virgin, — formed no small annoyance, at least during hours allotted to repose. 
Another peculiar custom of Par& is the ringing of bells and the discharge of 
rockets at a very early hour of the morning. I sometimes heai'd it at four o'clock, 
and with much regularity at five. [In 1862, J. C. F. occupied the same room.] 

"Few objects at Para attract more attention from the stranger than the fashion- 
able craft of the river. Vessels of all sizes — from that of a sloop down to a shallop 
— are called canoas. Few canoes proper, however, are in use. The montaria, seen 
and described at Maranham, is very common in the harbor. 

"The large canoas, made for freighting on the river, appear constructed for any 
thing else rather than water-craft. Both stem and stern are square. The hull 
towers up out of the water like that of a Chinese junk. Over the quarter-deck is 
constructed a species of awning, or round-house, generally made of thatch, to pro- 
tect the navigator against the sun by day and the dew by night, and, it also may 
be added, against the moon ; for the Paraenses are very superstitious in regard 
to the silver beams of Luna. Sometimes a similar round-house is constructed 
over the bows, giving something like homogeneity to the appearance of the vessel. 
This arrangement renders it necessary to have a staging or spar-deck rigged up, on 
which to perform the labors of navigation. The steersman generally sits perched 
upon the roof of the after round-house. The idea continually disturbing my mind 
while beholding these canoas was, that, being so top-heavy, they were liable to over- 
set, as they most inevitably would if exposed to a gale of wind. They are thought, 
however, to answer very well their purpose of floating upon the tide. Moreover, 
one special advantage of the round-house is that it furnishes room for the swinging 
of hammocks, and thus saves the canoe-men the trouble of going on shore to sus- 



Bathing and Market Scenes. 



551 



pend them on the trees. Mr. Mawe says that, in descending the Amazon, he passed 
a man who had moored his canoe while he fastened his bed upon some branches 
of a tree overhanging the water and took a nap ! 




AMAZONIAN CANOA. 



"The street running parallel to the river and connecting with the several land- 
ings is that in which the commercial business of the place is principally transacted. 
At certain hours of the day it presents a very lively appearance. 

"Various objects and customs are observed at Para that appear altogether pecu- 
liar to the place. In one section of the city, when animals are slaughtered for 
market, vast numbers of vultures are observed perched upon the trees or wheeling 
lazily through the air. Along the margin of the river, both morning and evening, 
great numbers of people may be seen bathing. No ceremonies are observed at these 
very necessary, and no doubt very agreeable, ablutions. Men, women, and chil- 
dren — belonging to the lower classes as a matter of course — may be seen at the 
same moment diving, plunging, and swimming in different directions. 

"There is generally a crowd of canoes around Ponta da Pedra, the principal 
landing-place. These, together with the crowd of Indians busily hurrying to and 
fro, conversing in the mingled dialects of the Amazon, are peculiar to Para. Here 
may be seen cargoes of Brazil-nuts, cacao, vanilla, annatto, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, 
tapioca, balsam of copaiba in pots, coarse dried fish in packages, and baskets 
of fruits, in infinite variety, both green and dry. Here are also parrots, macaws, 
and some other birds of gorgeous plumage, and occasionally monkeys and serpents, 
together with gum-elastic shoes, which are generally brought to market suspended 
on long poles to prevent their coming in contact with each other. These formerly 
arrived in immense quantities ; but now the ' India-rubber' is mostly conveyed to 
market in the shape of small slabs. 

"The indigenous produce of the province of Para is immense in quantity and 
of great value. If the people were only industrious in collecting what nature fur- 



552 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

nishes so bountifully to tbeir bands, tbey could not avoid being ricb. If enter- 
prising cultivation were added to tbat degree of industry, tbere is no limit to the 
vegetable wealtb which might be drawn from this treasure-house of nature. 

"Rice, cotton, sugar, and hides are exported in small quantities, and are pro- 
duced by the ordinary methods. The trade in gum-elastic, cacao, sarsaparilla, 
cloves, urucu, and Brazil-nuts, is more peculiar. 

" The use of the caoutchouc or gum-elastic was learned from the Omaguas, — 
a tribe of Brazilian Indians. These savages used it in the form of bottles and 
syringes: (hence the name syringe-tree.) It was their custom to present a bottle 
of it to every guest at the beginning of one of their feasts. The Portuguese settlers 
in Fara were the first who profited by turning it to other uses, converting it into 
shoes, boots, hats, and garments. It was found to be specially serviceable in a 
country so much exposed to rains and floods. But of late the improvements in its 
manufacture have vastly extended its uses and made it essential to the health and 
comfort of the whole enlightened world. The aboriginal name of this substance 
was cahuchu, the pronunciation of Avhich is nearly preserved in the word caoutchouc. 
At Para it is now generally called syringa, and sometimes borracha. It is the pro- 
duct of the Siphilla elastica, — a tree which grows to the height of eighty and some- 
times one hundred feet. It generally runs up quite erect, forty or fifty feet, without 
branches. Its top is spreading, and is ornamented with a thick and glossy foliage. 
On the slightest incision the gum exudes, having at first the appearance of thick, 
yellow cream. 

" The trees are generally tapped in the morning, and about a gill of the fluid is 
collected from one incision in the course of the day. It is caught in small cups 
of clay, moulded for the purpose with the hand. These are emptied, when full, 
into a jar. No sooner is this gum collected than it is ready for immediate use. 
Forms of various kinds, representing shoes, bottles, toys, &c, are in readiness, 
made of clay. 

"When the rough shoes of Para are manufactured, it is a matter of economy to 
have wooden lasts. These are first coated with clay, so as to be easily withdrawn. 
A handle is affixed to the last for the convenience of working. The fluid is poured 
over the form, and a thin coating immediately adheres to the clay. The next move- 
ment is to expose the gum to the action of smoke. The substance ignited for this 
purpose is the. fruit of the wassou-ipalm. This fumigation serves the double purpose 
of drying the gum and of giving it a darker color. When one coating is sufficiently 
hardened, another is added and smoked in turn. Thus, any thickness can be pro- 
duced. It is seldom that a shoe receives more than a dozen coats. The work, 
when formed, is exposed to the sun. For a day or two it remains soft enough to 
receive permanent impressions. During this time the shoes are figured according 
to the fancy of the operatives, by the use of a style or pointed stick. They retain 
their yellowish color for some time after the lasts are taken out and they are con- 
sidered ready for market. Indeed, they are usually sold when the gum is so fresh 
that the pieces require to be kept apart : hence, pairs of shoes are generally tied 
together and suspended on long poles. They may be seen daily at Para, suspended 
over the decks of the canoes that come down the river and on the shoulders of the 
men who deliver them to the merchants. Those who buy the shoes for exportation 
commonly stuff them with dried grass to preserve their extension. Various persons 
living in the suburbs of Para collect the caoutchouc and manufacture it on a small 
scale. But it is from the surrounding forest-country, where the people are almost 
entirely devoted to this business, that the market is chiefly supplied. The gum 



India-Rubber. 



553 



may be gathered during the entire year ; but it is more easily collected and more 
serviceable during the dry season. The months of May, June, July, and August 
are specially devoted to its preparation. Besides great quantities of this substance 
which leave Para in other forms, there have been exported for some years past 
about three hundred thousand pairs of gum-elastic shoes annually. There are, 
however, some changes in the form of its exportation ; and a few years ago a patent 
was taken out, by an American in Brazil, covering an invention for exporting 
caoutchouc in a liquid form. The Amazonian region now supplies, and probably 
will long continue to supply, in a great degree, the present and the rapidly- 
increasing demand for this material. Several other trees — most of them belonging 
to the tribe Euphorbiacice — produce a similar gum ; but none of them is likely to 
enter into competition with the India-rubber tree of Para. 




MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER SHOES. 



"Another tree, not uncommon in the province, called the massaranduba, yields 
a white secretion, which so resembles milk that it is much prized for an aliment. 
It forms, when coagulated, a species of plaster, which is deemed valuable. The 
trees yield the fluid in great profusion. Their botanical character has never been 
properly investigated. It has been said that the juice of the India-rubber tree it 
also sometimes used as milk, and that the negroes and Indians who work in its 
preparation are said to be fond of drinking it ; but a young lady who drank it at 
Para died from the effects of the coagulation in her stomach. 

" The annato or urucu is another valuable production of Para. This is a well- 
known coloring-matter of an orange dye. It is a product of the tree known to 
botanists as the Bixa orellana. This tree grows ordinarily to about the size and 
form of the quince-tree, and exhibits clusters of red and white flowers. Its coloring- 
matter was extensively used by the aboriginals at the period of discovery. By 
means of it they formed various kinds of paint, %nd were fond of besmearing the 
whole surface of their bodies with it. 



554 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

" The preparation used in commerce is the oily pulp of the seed, which is rubbed 
off and then left to ferment. After fermentation it is rolled into cakes weighing 
from two to three pounds, and in this form is exported. Cacao — the substance 
from which chocolate is prepared — is a common and valuable production of Para. 
It is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao, represented on page 529. 

" It would be an interesting, although an almost endless task to investigate the 
botany of the Amazon. Laurels are yet to be won in this field of science ; and it 
must be set down as by no means complimentary to American botanists, that they 
have not entered it as competitors." 

While steam navigation has done wonders for Para and the Ama- 
zon, many of the peculiarities of the people have changed ; but its 
wonderful tropical nature presents the same aspects as described by 
my colleague. 

The most thorough explorations of the Amazon and its tributaries 
within the last thirty years have been by Mr. Alfred R. Wallace, Mr. 
Henry Bates, and Mr. Chandless, of England ; Professors Agassiz, 
Orton, and Hart, of America ; Paul Marquoi of France ; and the Bra- 
zilian engineers, Jose da Costa Azenedo, Joao Soares Pinto, J. M. 
da S. Cotinho Ernesto Valle (in company with Dr. Couto de Magal- 
haes, President of G-oyaz) , and Franz Keller Leuzinger. 

Mr. Wallace was led by Mr. Edwards's little American book, " A 
Voyage up the Amazon," to enter upon his journe}^ in 1848, and 
continued them until 1852. Mr. Bates arrived in Brazil about the 
same time, and remained ten years, making the most thorough 
botanical investigations yet made of the great valley. Both of these 
gentlemen went, not to study the government and the European 
descendants, but the Indians, the fruits, flowers, birds, and animals 
of Amazonia. Whoever wishes fresh and reliable books on Nature 
can turn with surety to Mr. Bates's " Naturalist on the Amazons," 
and to Mr. Wallace's " Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and the 
Rio Negro," and his little volume on the " Palms of the Amazon." 
The scientific expedition — sometimes called the ' ' Thayer Expedi- 
tion " — to Brazil, which was conducted by the late Professor Agassiz 
in 1865-66, resulted in a charming volume, " A Journey in Brazil," 
the narrative being by Mrs. Agassiz. Professor Agassiz spent seven 
months in various parts of the valley. The late Professor Hart, who 
went a second time to Brazil, under the patronage of Hon. E. B. 
Morgan of Aurora, N. Y., left, amongst numerous other writings on 
Brazil, an account of his various labors on the Amazon, which were 
published by the Academy of Natural Sciences at Buffalo, N. Y., 



Fish at the Falls op the Madeira. 555 

and also in English at Rio, — "The Amazonian Tortoise-Myths." 
The late Professor Orton's "Andes and the Amazon" (Harper 
Brothers, N. Y.) is a book which has justly become a standard in 
regard to the journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The works 
by the various Brazilian and other engineers are (with the exception 
of Franz Keller Leuzinger's interesting " The Amazon and Madeira 
Rivers") in Portuguese. Paul Marquoi's travels, beautifully illus- 
trated, have been published in both English and French. 

The waters of the great river are scarcely less productive than the 
soil.of its banks. Innumerable species of fish and amphibious ani- 
mals abound in it. Professor Agassiz in seven months collected 
nearly 2,000 species. The most remarkable inhabitant of these 
waters is a mammiferous one, commonly called by the Portuguese 
peixe boi, or fish-ox. The vaca marina cannot be called amphibious, 
since it never leaves the water. It feeds principally upon a water- 




PEIXE BOI, OR VACA MARINA. 

plant- (carta bravo) that floats on the borders of the stream. It often 
raises its head above the water to respire, as well as to feed upon this 
vegetable. At these moments it is attacked and captured. It has 
only two fins, which are small and situated near its head. The 
udders of the female are beneath these fins. This has been pro- 
nounced the largest fish inhabiting fresh water ; but, notwithstanding 
its mammoth dimensions, — being, according to various accounts, 
from eight to seventeen feet long, and two to three feet thick at the 
widest part, — its eyes are extremely small, and the orifices of its ears 
are scarcely larger than a pin-head. Its skin is ver}- thick and hard, 
— not easily penetrated by a musket-ball. The Indians used to 
make shields of it for their defence in war. Its fat and flesh have 
alwaj's been in estimation. It served the natives in place of beef. 
Not having salt for the purpose, they used to preserve the flesh by 
means of smoke. I once ate some of this prepared peixe boi, and 
found it not unlike dried beef. 



566 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The waters of the Amazon up to the very base of the Andes are 
inhabited by several species of cetacea, of which we had very scanty 
information until Professor Agassiz investigated them. Mr. Nesbitt, 
an American engineer on Peruvian Government steamers, who spent 
a number of years on the King of Waters and its affluents, at nvy re- 
quest, kindly furnished me several items concerning the fauna of 
that region : — 

" There are thousands of the regular sea-porpoise in the Amazon and its affluents, 
at the very foot of the Andes. Indeed, I have seen larger schools of them in the 
Huallaga than I ever saw in the Hudson, and of enormous dimensions. Fish of 
every kind is very abundant in all the rivers and lakes. 

"At the Falls of the Rio Madeira the traveller will halt and gaze with wonder 
at the vast multitude of fish of all kinds and sizes — from the huge cow-fish to the 
little sardine — struggling with might and main to ascend the foaming, dashing 
current, without the slightest hope of success. Presently, some monster will make 
a dash at a school of his small congeners, when suddenly there will be a cloud 
of all sorts and sizes leaping in the air and trying to dodge their ravenous pursuer. 
All that is necessary for one wishing a fish is to take his canoe-paddle and 
strike right or left, when he is sure to hit: he cannot possibly miss. Here are 
almost always to be found great numbers of Indians collecting, salting, and drying 
fish. The peixe boi is an excellent fish for food; I would almost as soon have it for 
the table, in every shape, as the best veal : indeed, it might be palmed upon the 
unwary for that article. It is also equal to the best dried beef for chipping, in the 
estimation of many. 

" In this connection I might mention the Tartaruga, or turtle of the Amazon : 
these are to be found by the thousand in nearly all the affluents, — especially the 
Madeira, Purus, Napo, Ucayali, and Huallaga. At the season for them to deposit 
their eggs on the 'praias,' the streams will be fairly speckled with them, paddling 
their clumsy carcasses up to their native sand-bar ; for it is positively asserted by the 
natives that the turtle will not deposit its eggs anywhere except where it was 
itself hatched out. They lay from eighty to one hundred and twenty eggs every 
other year. Of this I have been assured by persons who have artificial ponds and 
keep them the year round for their own table. September and October are the 
months for depositing their eggs." 

Dr. Kidder says : — 

"The turtle-egg butter of Amazonia (manteiga da tartaruga) is a substance quite 
peculiar to this quarter of the globe. At certain seasons of the year the turtles 
appear by thousands on the banks of the rivers, in order to deposit their eggs upon 
the sand. The noise of their shells striking against each other in the rush is said 
to be sometimes heard at a great distance. Their work commences at dusk and 
ends with the following dawn, when they retire to the water. 

"During the daytime the inhabitants collect these eggs and pile them up in heaps 
resembling the stacks of cannon-balls seen at a navy-yard. These heaps are often 
twenty feet in diameter, and of a corresponding height. While yet fx-esh they are 
thrown into wooden canoes, or other large vessels, and broken with sticks and 
stamped fine with the feet. Water is then poured on, and the whole is exposed to 
the rays of the sun. The heat brings the oily matter of the eggs to the surface, 
from which it is skimmed off with cuyas and shells. After this it is subjected 
to a moderate boat until ready for use. When clarified, it has the appearance ol 



The Great Skill of the Caboclo Archers. 557 

butter that has been melted. It always retains the taste of fish-oil, but is much 
prized for seasoning by the Indians and those who are accustomed to its use. It is 
conveyed to market in earthen jars. In earlier times it was estimated that nearly 
two hundred and fifty millions of turtles' eggs were annually destroyed in the manu- 
facture of this manteiga. Recently the number is less, owing to the gradual 
inroads made upon the turtle race, and also to the advance of civilization.'* 

But the Government now regulates the turtle-egg harvest, so that 
their numbers may not be so rapidly diminished. There are some 
extensive beaches which yield two thousand pots of oil annually: 
each pot contains five gallons, and requires about twenty-five hun- 
dred eggs, which would give five million ova destroyed in one 
locality. 

Indeed, it is a wonder how the turtles can ever come to maturity. 
As they issue from the eggs and make their way to the water, 
many enemies are awaiting them. Huge alligators swallow them 
by hundreds; the jaguars feed upon them;* eagles, buzzards, and 
great wood-ibises are their devourers; and, when they have escaped 
these land-foes, many ravenous fishes are ready to seize them in 
the stream. They are, however, so prolific, that it has remained 
for their most fatal enemy, man, to visibly diminish their number. 

The Indians take the full-grown turtle in a net, or catch him 
with a hook, or shoot him with an arrow. The latter is a most 
ingenious method, and requires more skill than to shoot a bird upon 
the wing. The turtle never shows its back above the water, but, 
rising to breathe, its nostrils only are protruded above the surface : 
so slight, however, is the rippling that none but the Indian's keen 
eyes perceive it. If he shoot an arrow obliquely it would glance 
off' the smooth shell: therefore he aims into the air, and apparently 
"draws a bow at a venture;" but he sends up his missile with such 
wonderfully accurate judgment that it describes a parabola and 
descends nearly vertically into the back of the turtle. (Wallace.) 
The arrow-head fits loosely to the shaft, and is attached to it by a 



* " The jaguar, say the Indians, is the most cunning animal in the forest: he can 
imitate the voice of almost every bird and animal so exactly as to draw them 
toward him : he fishes in the rivers, lashing the water with his tail to imitate falling 
fruit, and, when the fish approach, hooks them up with his claws. He catches and 
eats turtles, and I have myself found the unbroken shells, which he has completely 
cleaned out with his paws: he even attacks the cow-fish in its own element, and an 
eye-witness assured me that he had watched one dragging out of the water this 
bulky animal, weighing as much as a large ox." — Wallace. 



558 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



long fine cord carefully wound around the wood, so* that when the 
turtle dives the barb descends, the string unwinds, and the light 
shaft forms a float or buoy, which the Indian secures, and by the 
attached cord he draws the prize up into his canoe. Nearly all 
the turtles sold in market are taken in this manner, and the little 
square vertical hole made by the arrow-head may generally be seen 
in the shell. 

In connection with this might be mentioned the archery of some 
of the civilized Indians in various portions of the Empire. A large 
and strong bow is bent by their legs. In this way they are able to 
shoot game at a great distance. 




CABOCLO ARCHER 5. 



As to the birds of the Amazon, they are everywhere brilliant 
beyond birds in any other portion of the world. Some, like the 
dancing cock of the rock, and the curious and little-known umbrella- 
bird, are very difficult to obtain. I can only mention the latter. 

This singular bird is about the size of a raven, and is of a similar 
color; but its feathers have a more scaly appearance, from being 
margined with a different shade of glossy blue. On its head it 
bears a crest different from that of any other bird. It is formed 
of feathers more than two inches long, very thickly set, and with 
hairy plumes curving over at the end. These can be laid back so 
as to be hardly visible, or can be erected and spread out on every 
side, forming, as has been remarked, " a hemispherical, or rather 



The Umbrella-Bird. 



559 



a hemi-ellipsoidal, dome, completely covering the head, and even 
reaching beyond the point of the beak." It inhabits the flooded 
islands of the Eio 'Negro and the Solimoes, never appearing on the 
mainland. It feeds on fruits, and utters a loud, hoarse cry, like 
some deep musical instrument, — whence its Indian name, Uera- 
mimbe, "trumpet-bird." 

And what can be said of the countless tribes of insects that 
swarm in the Amazonian 
forests ? My first ac- 
quaintance with the rich 
living gems of Brazil was 
made at the retired resi- 
dence of Mr. G., in the 
lovely Larangeiras at Bio 
de Janeiro, and after- 
ward in various parts of 
the Empire. I did not 
cease to wonder at the 
innumerable and bril- 
liant hosts of Lepidop- 
tera, Coleoptera, Heli-co- 
niidse, &c. &c. It would 
require volumes to note 
them. In the vicinity 
of Para itself there is 
ample opportunity for 
the study of nature. 

Dr. Kidder visited the 
American rice-mills situated twelve miles distant from the city, 
and thus describes the excursion : — 




THE UMBREL LA-BI R D. 



" Our way led through a deep, unbroken forest, of a density and a magnitude 
of which I had, before penetrating it, but a faint conception. Notwithstanding this 
is one of the most public roads leading to or from the city, yet it is only for a short 
distance passable for carriages. Indeed, the branches of trees are not unfrequently 
in the way of the rider on horseback. A negro is sent through the path periodically 
with a sabre to clip the increasing foliage and branches before they become too 
formidable. Thus the road is kept open and pleasant. Notwithstanding the heat 
of the sun in these regions at noonday, and the danger of too much exposure to 
its rays, an agreeable coolness always pervades those retreats of an Amazonian 



560 Bkazil and the Brazilians. 

forest, whose lofty and umbrageous canopy is almost impenetrable. The brilliancy 
of the sun's glare is mellowed by innumerable reflections upon the polished surface 
of the leaves. Many of the trees are remarkably straight and very tall. Some 
of them are decked from top to bottom with splendid flowers and parasites, while 
the trunks and boughs of nearly all are interlaced with innumerable runners and 
creeping vines. 

"These plants form a singular feature of the more fertile regions of Brazil. But 
it is on the borders of the Amazon that they appear in their greatest strength and 
luxuriance. They twist around the trees, climbing up to their tops, then grow 
down to the ground, and, taking root, spring up again and cross from bough to 
bough and from tree to tree, wherever the wind carries their limber shoots, till the 
whole woods are hung with their garlanding. This vegetable cordage is sometimes 
so closely interwoven that it has the appearance of network, which neither birds 
nor beasts can easily pass through. Some of the stems are as thick as a man's 
arm. They are round or square, and sometimes triangular, and even pentangular. 
They grow in knots and screws, and, indeed, in every possible contortion to which 
they may be bent. To break them is impossible. Sometimes they kill the tree 
which supports them, and occasionally remain standing erect, like a twisted column, 
after the trunk which they have strangled has mouldered within their involutions. 
Monkeys delight to play their gambols upon this wild rigging ; but they are now 
scarce in the neighborhood of Para. Occasionally their chatter is heard at a dis- 
tance, mingled with the shrill cries of birds ; but generally a deep stillness prevails, 
adding grandeur to the native majesty of these forests. 

"On our route to Maguary, I was surprised to see lands which ten or twelve 
years ago had been planted with sugarcane now entirely overgrown with trees of 
no insignificant dimensions. Only a few acres immediately around the engenho had 
been kept free from these encroachments. Here was located the first mill for 
cleaning rice ever built in the vicinity of Para. It was established by North 
American enterprise. A small water-power existed on the site ; but, after the mills 
were constructed, it was found that this power was insufficient in the dry season : 
consequently, a steam-engine of sixteen horse-power was imported from the United 
States, and has been made to do good service. The steam-power was kept in action 
constantly, and, at proper seasons, the water-power also. Both were inadequate 
to the amount of business that offered. Several American mechanics were em- 
ployed at this establishment, which, small as it is, compares favorably with any 
mechanical establishment in the whole country. A stream connects this engenho 
with the great river, and thus furnishes cheap conveyance for cargoes to and 
from the city." 

My colleague also had some experience at Para not quite so 

agreeable as riding through Amazonian forests : — 

"Soon after my arrival, in company of the United States Consul, I waited on 
Senhor Franco, the president of the province, to whom I bore a letter of commenda- 
tion. This individual had formerly been clerk in one of the English mercantile 
houses in Para, and was subsequently educated as a beneficiary of the province, 
of which he had now become the chief magistrate. He received us with civility, 
and in person conducted us through the palace. I found that building one of the 
best of the kind in the Empire. It was built, together with the cathedral and some 
of the churches, in the days of that talented but ambitious prime minister of Por- 



The "Pastokal" of the Bishop. 561 

tugal, the Marquis of Pombal, who cherished the splendid idea of having the throne 
of Portugal and all her dominions transferred from the banks of the Tagus to those 
of the Amazon. This circumstance accounts for the ample size and magnificent 
structure of these buildings in a town of moderate extent. 

** At a proper time I waited on the juiz de direito, — the chief officer of the police, 
— to exhibit my passport and obtain a license of residence in the very loyal and 
heroic city of Para and the province of which it was the capital. No embarrass- 
ments were put in my way, and no detention occurred. I obtained the requisite 
license, and kept it until I had occasion to obtain a new passport on my departure. 
Nevertheless, it appeared at one period that my unmolested residence in the city 
was very much in jeopardy. 

"The old Bishop of Para seemed to have caught the contagion of alarm from his 
colleague in Maranham ; and both these prelates — yielding more than their sober 
judgment should have allowed them to certain unfounded and malicious repre- 
sentations sent them from some quarter — wrote to Senhor Franco concerning me 
as a very dangerous person, who ought not to be suffered to land in the province. 
The president probably satisfied himself on that point during my visit to him; and 
although he owed his political elevation very much to his ecclesiastical patrons, yet 
he managed to satisfy their apprehensions by a very short and formal correspond- 
ence with the American Consul. No person interfered with me or any of my pur- 
suits from first to last." 

The see of Para is certainty still very much endangered by the 
Bible, if we may judge from the "pastoral" issued in the Diario do 
Commercio (of the 8th of April, 1857) by Dom Jose Affonso de Moraes 
Torres, "by the grace of God and of the Holy Apostolical See, 
Bishop of Grao Para." The good bishop seems to be terribly exer- 
cised by what he terms uma Sociedade Biblica ultimamente creada 
com o noma de Allianga Ohrista, (a Bible Society lately created 
under the name of the Christian Alliance.) He says that its 
emissaries circulate books, one of which — a catechism — he has 
read, and that in it he "encounters a doctrine entirely opposed to 
the belief of the Church of Jesus Christ." That which particularly 
stirs up his ire is that the little book teaches that the worship of 
images is idolatry. He then insists that such worship is altogether 
right, only that the internal operation of the mind is not exactly 
the same as when worshipping God. He not only hurls his invec- 
tives at the little book and at heretics, but proves from Scripture 
that we can be doing God's service in adoring his creatures. He 
adduces, with decided emphasis, that Abraham worshipped the 
angels and adored the sons of Heth (!) [adorou os filhos de Heth, 
Gen. xxiii. 7.] 

The true head of offence in the little book is that it contains 
unmutilated the Ten Commandments. I have in my possession the 



5t>2 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Ten Commandments as they are printed in all the books of religious 
instruction in Portugal and in some parts of Brazil, and the second 
commandment is entirely omitted; and, in order to make up the 
Decalogue, the tenth commandment is thus divided. "Thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbor's house" figures as the ninth, and "Thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife," &c. &c, "nor any thing that 
is thy neighbor's," is the tenth. 

The state of religion at Para is by no means flattering, and the 
heart is as far from being reached by empty forms and gorgeous 
pageants on the Amazon as it is on the Tiber or the Danube. The 
grand annual festival of Nazare always attracts from the city an 
immense crowd, who go not for religious edification, but for the 
nine days' feasting, dancing, fireworks, and gaming. 

General reflections upon the character and tendency of such a 
scene of festivities — so absorbing to a whole community and so 
long continued — seem unnecessary. If it had no religious preten- 
sions it would be less exceptionable ; but for a people to be made 
to think themselves doing God's service while mingling in such 
amusements and follies is painfully lamentable. 



Note for 1866. — The city of Para has returned to its former size, the population 
now being as great (if not greater) as it was before the disastrous days of 1835- 
38. In 1862 the junior author could see but few traces of the rebellion in the 
condition of the buildings, and, though the elderly people had ineifaceable recol- 
lections of the revolt and scenes of bloodshed, the great majority of the popula- 
tion have grown up without sad souvenirs. Many improvements have taken place. 
Some of the most important in a material point of view are those which have 
been brought about by Sr. Pimento Bueno, the gerente of the Amazonian Naviga- 
tion Company. The houses of James Bishop & Co. (J. C. Bond), H. K. Corning & Co. 
(Mr. Moran), and Burdett & Everett (Mr. Pond), are energetic representatives of 
American interests at Para. President Brusque, who was President of the province 
of Para in 1861, '62, and '63, took the deepest interest in publishing the material re- 
sources of the province of Para, and his Relatorios of 1862-63 are full of the most 
valuable information. The latest and most reliable English book on the Amazon 
is the " Naturalist .on the Amazon," by Henry Bates, Esq., London, 1863. This 
is a most charming and valuable work. Mr. B. passed nearly ten years in that 
equatorial region, and has given the world many important facts concerning the 
great valley, aside from information in regard to its natural history. Only one 
drawback to many is to be found, in his "Darwinian" views; but they are "put" 
so modestly, and his investigations are so much better than his theory, that one 
becomes only interested in the great theme of his book, "the King of Waters." 



CHAPTEE XXVII. 

AMAZONAS ITS DISCOVERY EL DORADO — GONCALO PIZARRO HIS EXPEDITION — 

CRUELTIES — SUFFERINGS DESERTION OF ORELLANA HIS DESCENT OF THE 

RIVER — FABLE OF THE AMAZONS FATE OF THE ADVENTURER NAME OF THE 

RIVER — SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTRY SUCCESSIVE EXPEDITIONS UP AND DOWN 

THE AMAZON — SUFFERINGS OF MADAME GODIN — PRESENT STATE — VICTORIA 

REGIA — STEAM-NAVIGATION EFFECTS OF HERNDON AND GIBBON'S REPORT 

PERUVIAN STEAMERS THE FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE AMAZON. 

Amazon as (or Alto Auiazonas) is the most northern province of 
Brazil. My colleague thus writes in regard to the history of this 
vast and almost-unknown division of the Empire : — 

"No portion of the earth involves a greater degree of physical interest. Its 
central position upon the equator, its vast extent, its unlimited resources, its mam- 
moth rivers, and the romance that still lingers in its name and history, are all 
peculiar. Three hundred years have elapsed since this region was discovered ; but 
down to the present day two-thirds of it remains uncivilized and almost unex- 
plored. 

"Indeed, few persons, save the Indians, and the slave-hunters who once pursued 
them, have even penetrated its remote sections, or seen any parts of it save the 
banks of navigable rivers. The circumstances of its discovery will ever be con- 
sidered remarkable. It was about the middle of the sixteenth century when the 
fable of El Dorado filled the public mind of Europe. The existence of a New 
World was then fully demonstrated, and the leaven of desire for its undeveloped 
treasures had spread from court to camp, from princes to beggars, until the whole 
mass of society was in a ferment. Avarice, personified under the garb of adven- 
ture, bestrode the ocean. Scarcely did her footsteps touch the shores of the New 
World, ere they were bathed in blood. She commenced her work of desolation 
in the fair islands of the Caribbean. She caused the din of arms to resound in 
the primeval forests and aboriginal cities of the continent. She scaled the 
Cordilleras, and laid waste savannahs upon both the Atlantic and the Pacific 
shores. 

"Among the bloodthirsty and cruel men who stood forth as leaders in the work 
of conquest and plunder, Goncalo Pizarro, the brother and associate of the con- 
queror of Peru, was second to few, if any. His talents may have been less, but 
his daring and cruelty were greater. In 1541, this adventurer set out from Quito, 
with an army of three hundred soldiers, and four thousand Indians to serve them 
as bearers of burdens, with the design of discovering the land of gold. This was 

563 



5(54 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

an imaginary kingdom, shaped out of the half-comprehended tales of the persecuted 
Indians and exaggerated by the most extravagant fancies. 

" This fabulous kingdom received a name from the fashion of its monarch, who 
was said, in order to wear a more magnificent attire than any other potentate in 
the world, to put on a daily coating of gold-dust. His body was anointed every 
morning with a costly and fragrant gum, to which the gold-dust adhered when 
blown over him by a tube. In this barbaric attire the Spaniards denominated him 
El Dorado, — the Gilded King. No fictions concerning this monarch or his kingdom 
were too extravagant for credence. He was generally located in the grand city of 
Manoa, in which no fewer than three thousand workmen were employed in the sil- 
versmiths' street. The columns of his palace were described as of porphyry and 
alabaster : the throne was ivory, and the steps leading to it were of gold. Others 
built the palace of white stone, and ornamented it with golden suns and moons of 
silver, while living lions, fastened by chains of gold, guarded its entrance. With 
day-dreams like these dancing before the minds of commanders and soldiers, the 
army of Pizarro set out, cherishing the highest anticipations. 

"In proceeding eastward from Quito, they were obliged to cut their way through 
forests, to climb mountains, and to contend with hostile tribes of Indians. Every 
tribe with which they met was interrogated about El Dorado, and when unable to 
give any intelligence of it they were put to torture : some were even burned alive, 
and others were torn to pieces by bloodhounds, which the Spaniards had trained to- 
feed on human flesh. 

" The effects of this dreadful cruelty returned upon the heads of its perpetrators 
with a terrible vengeance. As the tidings of their approach spread from tribe to 
tribe, the poor natives learned to flatter their hopes and send them along. The 
rains came on, and, lasting for months, rotted the garments from the bodies of the 
soldiers, who could neither make nor find a shelter. At length their provisions 
were exhausted, and they began to feed upon their dogs. The sick multiplied, so 
that they were obliged to build a brigantine in which to carry them. This was a 
herculean task for soldiers to perform, especially without the requisite implements. 
Before it was accomplished they had to slaughter their horses for food. Their 
troubles continued and even increased : still, with death staring them in the face, 
Pizarro continued to seize prisoners, and put them in irons when he supposed they 
desired to escape. When they at length stood upon the banks of the river Napo, 
not less than one thousand of the Peruvians had perished. 

"The commander now heard of a larger river into which this emptied, and was 
told that the country surrounding the junction was fertile and abounding in pro- 
visions. He therefore determined to despatch the vessel with fifty men to procure 
supplies for the rest. Francisco de Orellana, a knight of Truxillo, was put in com- 
mand of this expedition. The stream carried them rapidly downward through an 
uninhabited and desert country. When they had descended about three hundred 
miles, the question was started whether they should not abandon the idea of return- 
ing. They had not found food sufficient for themselves ; and how could they succor 
the army ? Besides, how could they ascend against the current in their enfeebled 
state ? It would only be to perish with the rest. They might as well continue 
their descent, for 'rivers to the ocean run,' and there was some chance that they 
might in this way not only save their lives but also immortalize their names by new 
discoveries. Orellana urged these considerations with so much plausibility, that 
all consented save two, — a Dominican friar and a young knight of Badajoz, who con- 
tended against the plan as treacherous and cruel. Orellana disposed of this objec- 



The Expedition of Orellana. 565 

tion by setting the knight on shore, to perish or return to the army as he best could. 
The friar became an easy convert to the new scheme, and thenceforward took a pro- 
minent part in it. Orellana renounced the commission he had received from 
Pizarro, and received an election from his men as their commander, so that he might 
make discoveries in his own name, and not under delegated authority in the name 
of another. 

" It was on the last day of December, 1541, that this adventurous voyage was 
commenced, after mass had been said by the Dominican. Their prospects were 
gloomy enough. Their stock of provisions was wholly exhausted, and they were 
forced to boil the soles of their shoes and their leathern girdles, in hope of deriving 
nourishment from them. 

"It also became necessary to build a better vessel. This being accomplished 
with great difficulty and delay, they resumed their voyage. Sometimes they met 
with a kind reception from the Indians, but more generally they had to fight their 
way with great losses and imminent danger of complete destruction. 

" It was in the month of June that, during a battle with a hostile tribe, they dis- 
covered what they reported to be Amazons. Friar Graspar, the Dominican, affirms 
that ten or twelve of these women fought at the head of the tribe which was subject 
to their authority. He described them as very tall and large-limbed, having a white 
complexion, and long hair plaited and banded around their head. Their only article 
of dress was a cincture, but they were armed with bows and arrows. The men 
fought desperately, because, if they deserted, they would be beaten to death by 
these female tyrants ; but, when the Spaniards had slain some seven or eight of the 
latter, the Indians fled. These stories were generally believed to have been delibe- 
rate falsehoods fabricated with the idea of giving consequence to the voyage. The 
existence, however, of a powerful tribe of Amazons in that portion of South Ame- 
rica was a subject of deliberate inquiry and grave discussion for at least two cen- 
turies. Condamine and others favored the opinion that there had been such a 
people, of which some remnants remained till about the time of Orellana, soon after 
which they became extinct by amalgamation with surrounding tribes. The Spanish 
historian Herrera has given detailed accounts of the adventures of Orellana, com- 
piled from his own statements, endorsed by his veracious chronicler, Friar Gaspar. 
They contain, however, but little authentic information. But, strange as it may 
seem, modern investigation (as will be seen hereafter) has proved that the veracious 
frade apparently spoke the truth. 

" In the course of seven months they reached the ocean. After some repairs 
made upon their vessels, they sailed out of the great river during the month of 
August, and on the 11th of September they made the island of Cubagua. Orellana 
proceeded thence to Spain, to give an account of his discoveries in person. 

" The excuse he presented for deserting Pizarro was accepted, and, on solicita- 
tion, he received a grant of the conquest of the regions he had discovered. He 
bad but little difficulty in raising funds or enlisting adventurers for his expedition. 
It, however, proved disastrous. His fleet arrived out in 1544, but, amid the labyrinth 
of channels at the mouth of the river, it was impossible to find the main branch. 
After a month or two spent in beating about, without being able to ascend the river 
or to accomplish any important object, Orellana succumbed to his misfortunes, and, 
like many of his men, sickened and died. He was the first to descend the embouoh- 
ment of the Amazon ; but Pinzon is said to have discovered the mighty current in 1500. 

" Mr. Southey had so much respect for his memory, that he made an effort in his 
history to restore the name of Orellana to the great river. He discarded Maranon, 



566 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

as having too much resemblance to Maranham,* and Amazon, as being founded 
upon fiction and at the same time inconvenient. Accordingly, in his map, and in 
all his references to the great river, he denominates it Orellana. 

" This decision of the poet-laureate of Great Britain has not proved authoritative 
in Brazil. Amazonas is the universal appellation of the great river among those 
who float upon its waters and who live upon its banks, and is now given to the new 
province whose capital is the Barra do Rio Negro. 

"Para, the aboriginal name of this river, was more appropriate than any other. 
It signifies 'the father of waters.' The term ' Para River' designates the southern, 
in opposition to the northern, principal mouth of the Amazon, and also the province 
through which the mighty river finds the ocean." 

The name Amazonas has been stated by some to be derived from 
the Indian word Amassona, — a term, it is pretended, applied to the 
wonderful phenomenon of a high tide of these rivers two days 
before and two days after full-moon, which extends to the very 
confluence of the Madeira. As this tide is very destructive to 
small craft, the natives called it Amassona, (" boat-breaker.") This 
story, it seems to me, has no foundation whatever. I do not believe 
Amassona to be an aboriginal term ; for the Portuguese substantive 
amds means "a heap," and the simple verb amassar means "to 
knead," " to bruise," &c; while the reflex verb amassar-se means 
" to heap up itself." 

The origin of the name and the mystery concerning the female 
warriors, I think, has been solved, within the last few years, by the 
intrepid Mr. Wallace, who left the beaten track, — the bed of the 
great river, — and in the remotest haunts of the wild man, by his 
persevering patience and his knowledge of the Lingoa G-eral, has 
given much information to the world concerning the little-known 
interior. 

I believe it will now be found that, although the early monkish 
chroniclers of the New World often used their imaginations instead 
of being content with facts, they were in this case not so culpable 
as many have supposed. They really believed that they had fought 
with female warriors, and certainly appearances were in favor of 
their truthfulness. Mr. Wallace, I think, conclusively shows that 
Friar Gaspar and his companions saw Indian male warriors who 
were attired in habiliments such as Europeans would attribute 

* Both words have evidently a common origin, being derived from the Portuguese 
mare, "the sea," and nao, "not," — not the sea, as a great river near its mouth 
appears to be. 



Origin of the Name Kio Amazonas. 567 

to woman. Mr. Wallace visited numerous tribes on the upper 
affluents of the Amazon, and, in speaking of their language, habits 
of dress, and other characteristics, he says, — 

" The use of ornaments and trinkets of various kinds is almost confined to the 
men. The women wear a bracelet on the wrists, but no necklace, or any comb in 
the hair : they have a garter below the knee, worn tight from infancy, for the pur- 
pose of swelling out the calf, which they consider a great beauty. While dancing 
in their festivals, the women wear a small tanga, or apron, made of beads prettily 
arranged : it is never worn at any other time, and immediately the dance is over 
it is taken off. 

"The men, on the other hand, have the hair carefully parted and combed on 
each side and tied in a queue behind. In the young men it hangs in long locks 
down their necks, and, with the comb, which is invariably carried stuck on the top 
of the head, gives to them a most feminine appearance : this is increased by the 
large necklaces and bracelets of beads and the careful extirpation of every symptom 
of beard. Taking these circumstances into consideration, I am strongly of opinion 
that the story of the Amazons has arisen from these feminine-looking warriors en- 
countered by the early voyagers. I am inclined to this belief from the effect they 
first produced on myself, when it was only by close examination that I found they 
were men ; and, were the front parts of their bodies and their breasts covered with 
shields such as they always use, I am convinced any person seeing them for the 
first time would conclude they were women. We have only, therefore, to suppose 
that tribes having similar customs to those now existing on the river Uaupes in- 
habited the regions where the Amazons were reported to have been seen, and we 
have a rational explanation of what has so much puzzled all geographers. The 
only objection to this explanation is, that traditions are said to exist among the 
natives, of ' a nation of women without husbands.' Of this tradition I was myself 
unable to obtain any trace, and I can easily imagine it entirely to have arisen from 
the suggestions and inquiries of Europeans themselves. When the story of the 
Amazons was first made known, it became, of course, a point with all future tra- 
vellers to verify it, or, if possible, to get a glimpse of these warlike ladies. The 
Indians must no doubt have been overwhelmed with questions and suggestions 
about them, and they, thinking that the white men must know best, would transmit 
to their descendants and families the idea that such a nation did exist in some dis- 
tant part of the country. Succeeding travellers, finding traces of this idea among 
the Indians, would take it as & proof of the existence of the Amazons, instead of 
being merely the effect of a mistake at first, which had been unknowingly spread 
by preceding travellers seeking to obtain some information on the subject. 

"In my communications and inquiries among the Indians on various matters, I 
have always found the greatest caution necessary to, prevent one's arriving at wrong 
conclusions. They are always apt to affirm that which they see you wish to be- 
lieve, and, when they do not at all comprehend your question, will unhesitatingly 
answer, 'Yes.' " 

Having thus explained the origin of the word Amazonas, we will 

again turn to the historic sketch of Dr. Kidder :— 

"About seventy years after the events (the voyage of Orellana) above narrated, 
the Portuguese began to settle in Para, advancing from Maranham. In 1616, Fran- 
cisco Cadeira the first chief-captain, laid the foundations of the present city of Pari, 



563 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

under the protection of Nossa Senhora de Belem. In 1637, another party descended 
the Amazon from Quito. It was composed of two Franciscan friars and six sol- 
diers, who had been sent on a mission to the Indians upon the frontiers of Peru. 
The mission proved unsuccessful. Some of the missionaries grew weary and re- 
turned ; others persisted until the savages attacked and murdered the commander 
of their escort of soldiers, when all dispersed. Those who were disheartened at the 
prospect of the dreadful journey back to Quito committed themselves to the waters, 
as Orellana had done nearly a century before. They reached Belem in safety, but 
so stupefied with fear as to be unable to give any satisfactory account of what they 
had seen. It was enough for them to have escaped from the horrid cannibals 
through whose midst they had passed. 

"In the same year, the first expedition for the ascent of the Amazon was 
organized. It was commanded by Pedro Teixeira, and was composed of seventy 
soldiers, twelve hundred native rowers and bowmen, besides females and slaves, 
who increased the number to about two thousand. They embarked in forty-five 
canoes. The strength of the opposing current and the difficulty of finding their 
course amid the labyrinthian channels of the, r,iver rendered their enterprise one 
of unparalleled toil. Many of the Indians deserted, and nothing but unwearied 
perseverance and great tact enabled Teixeira to keep the rest. After a voyage of 
eight months, he reached the extent of navigation. Leaving most of his men with 
his canoes at this place, he continued his journey overland to Quito, where he was 
received with distinguished honors. He was accompanied on his return by several 
friars, whose business it was to record the incidents and observations of the voyage. 
A considerable amount of authentic information was thus collected and published 
to the world. The party reached Belem in December, 1639, amid great rejoicings. 
After this, voyages upon the Amazon became more common. 

"In 1745, M. La Condamine, a French academician, descended from Quito, and 
constructed a map of the river, based upon a series of astronomical observations. 
His memoir, read before the Royal Academy on his return, remains to this day a 
very interesting work. In modern times, the most celebrated voyages down the 
Amazon have been described at length by those who accomplished them, — e.g. Spix 
and Von Martius, Lister Mawe, Lieutenants Smyth, Herndon and Gibbon, and 
Mr. Wallace. 

"The expeditions to which I have alluded have generally been prosperous, and 
not attended with any peculiar misfortunes. Not so with every voyage that has 
been undertaken upon these interminable waters. The sufferings of Madame Oodin 
des Odonnais have hardly a parallel on record. The husband of this lady was an 
astronomer associated with M. Condamine. He had taken his family with him to 
reside in Quito, but, being ordered to Cayenne, was obliged to leave them behind. 
Circumstances transpired to prevent his returning for a period of sixteen years, and 
when finally he made the attempt to ascend the Amazon he was taken sick and 
could not proceed. All the messages that he attempted to send his absent wife 
failed of their destination. In the mean time a rumor reached her that an expedi- 
tion had been despatched to meet her at some of the missions on the Upper Amazon. 
She immediately resolved to set out on the perilous journey. She was accompanied 
by her family, including three females, two children, and two or three men, one of 
whom was her brother. They surmounted the Andes and passed down the tributary 
streams of the Amazon without serious difficulties ; but the farther they entered 
into the measureless solitudes that lay before them, the more their troubles in- 
creased. The missions were found in a state of desolation under the ravages of 



Tub Heroism of Madame Godin. 569 

the smallpox. The village where they expected to find Indians to conduct them 
down the river had but two inhabitants surviving : these poor creatures could not 
aid them, and they were left without guides or canoe-men. Ignorant of navigation, 
and unaccustomed to either toil or danger, their misery was now beyond descrip- 
tion. Their canoe, in drifting on the current, filled with water, and they barely 
escaped with life and a few provisions. They managed to construct a raft ; but this 
was soon torn to pieces upon a snag. The forlorn company again escape to the 
shore, and, as their only alternative, attempt to make their way on foot. Without 
map or compass, they know not whither they go. In attempting to follow the 
windings of the stream they become bewildered, and finally plunge into the depths 
of the forest. Wild fruits and succulent plants now furnish them their only food. 
Weakened by hunger, they soon fall victims to disease. 

"In a few days Madame Godin, the sole survivor, stood surrounded by eight 
dead bodies! Imagine the horror that overwhelmed her as she saw one after 
another of her friends and family in the agonies of death ! In the desperation of 
the hour she attempted to bury them, but found it impossible. After two days 
spent in mourning over the dead, she roused up with a determination to make 
another effort to seek her long-lost husband. She was now nearly three thousand 
miles from the ocean, without food, and with her delicate feet lacerated by thorns. 
Taking the shoes of one of the dead men, she started upon her dreary way. What 
phantoms now torture her imagination and people the wilderness with frightful 
monsters ! But she wanders on. Days of wretchedness and nights of horror 
ensue. At length, on the ninth day, she heard the noise of a canoe, and, running 
to the river-side, she was taken up by a party of Indians. Suffice it to say that 
they conducted her to one of the missions, from which, after long delays and great 
exposure, she was finally conveyed down the Amazon and restored to her husband 
after nineteen years' separation. They returned to France together and spent the 
remnant of their days in retirement; but Madame G. never fully recovered from 
the effects of her fright and sufferings. 

"Even at this day, the traveller upon the waters of the Amazon, above Para, 
finds himself in a wild and uncultivated region. He will scarcely see fifty houses 
in three hundred miles. There are but few settlements directly on the river. Most of 
the villages are on the tributary streams and the Iguaripes, or bayous. The houses 
universally have mud floors and thatched roofs ; and, though the population is in- 
creasing, I fear that for a long time to come 
the great majority of the inhabitants in 
the immediate vicinity of the Lower Ama- 
zon will be such as are depicted in the 
engraving. 

"Notwithstanding all the beautiful 
theories respecting steam-navigation on 
the waters of the Amazon and its tribu- 
taries, nothing was accomplished deserv- 
ing the name vintil 1853. As far back 
as the year 1827, an association, called 
the South American Steamboat Com- 
pany, was organized in New York, with 
the express design of promoting that 

navigation. It owed its origin to the suggestion of the Brazilian Government 
through its charge d'affaires, Mr. Rebello, resident in the United States, who 




570 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

stipulated decided encouragements, and the grant of special privileges on the part 
of His Majesty Dom Pedro I. A steamboat was fitted out and sent to Para, and 
other heavy expenses were incurred by the company ; but, through a lacK of co- 
operation on the part of Brazil, the whole enterprise proved a failure. Claims for 
indemnification to a large amount were for a long time pending before the Brazilian 
Government. 

"After 1838, small Government steamers were from time to time sent up the 
Amazon as far as the River Negro. Such voyages were repeated at intervals, and 
sufficed for steam-navigation on the Amazon until 1853. The globe does not else- 
where present such a splendid theatre for steam-enterprise. Not only is the Amazon 
navigable for more than three thousand miles, but the Tocantins, the Chingti, the 
Tapajos, the Madeira, the Negro, and other affluents, are unitedly navigable several 
thousand more. All these rivers flow through the richest soil and the most luxu- 
rious vegetation in the world." 

Near their margin is found the giant of Flora's kingdom., whose 
discovery a few years since is as notable a fact to the naturalist 
world as the regular opening of steam-navigation upon the Amazon 
is to the commercial world. 

Of all the Nymphseacese, the largest, the richest, and the most 
beautiful is the marvellous plant which has been dedicated to the 
Queen of England, and which bears the name of Victoria Begia. 
It inhabits the tranquil waters of the shallow lakes formed by the 
widening of the Amazon and its affluents. Its leaves measure from 
fifteen to eighteen feet in circumference. Their upper part is of 
a dark, glossy green ; the under portion is of a crimson red, fur- 
nished with large, salient veins, which are cellular and full of air, 
and have the stem covered with elastic prickles. The flowers lift 
themselves about six inches above the water, and when full blown 
have a circumference of from three to four feet. The petals unfold 
toward evening: their color, at first of the purest white, passes, in 
twenty-four hours, through successive hues from a tender rose-tinge 
to a bright red. During the first day of their bloom they exhale a 
delightful fragrance, and at the end of the third day the flower fades 
away and replunges beneath the waters, there to ripen its seeds. 
When matured, these fruit-seeds, rich in fecula, are gathered 
by the natives, who roast them, and relish them thus prepared. 

The description of this magnificent plant explains the admiration 
experienced by naturalists when beholding it for the first time. The 
celebrated Haenke was travelling in a pirogue on the Rio Mamore, 
in company with Father Lacueva, a Spanish missionary, when he 
discovered, in the still waters close to the shore, this gigantic 



The Victoria Regia. 



571 



Nynrphaeacese. At the sight the botanist fell upon his knees, and — 
as a not very pious French writer very Frenchily records — expressed 
his religious and scientific enthusiasm by impassioned exclama- 
tions and outbursts of adoration to the Creator, — " an improvised 
Te Deum which must have deeply impressed the old missionary." 




THE VICTORIA REGIA AND THE BOAT- 



In 1S45, an English traveller, Mr. Bridges, as lie was following 
the wooded banks of the Yacouma, one of the tributaries of the 
Mamore, came to a lake hidden in the forest, and found upon it a 
colony of Victoria Begins. Carried away by his admiration, he was 
about to plunge into the water for the purpose of gathering some 
of the flowers, when the Indians who accompanied him pointed to 
the savage alligators lazily reposing upon the surface. This in- 
formation made him cautious; but, without abating his ardor, he 
ran to the city of Santa Anna, and soon obtained a canoe, which 
was launched upon the lake which contained the objects of his 
ambition. The leaves were so enormous that he could place but 



572 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



two of them on the canoe, and he was obliged to make several 
trips to complete his harvest. 

Mr. Bridges soon arrived in England with the seeds, which he 
had sown in moist clay. Two of these germinated in the aquarium 
of the hothouse at Kew. One was sent to the large hothouses of 
Chatsworth : a basin was prepared to receive it, the temperature 
was raised, and the plant was placed in its new resting-place on 
the 10th of August, 1849. Toward the end of September it was 
necessary to enlarge the basin and to double its size, in order to 
give space to the leaves, which developed with great rapidity. 
So large did they become that one of them supported the weight 
of a little girl in an upright position. 

The first bud opened on the beginning of November. The flower 
in bloom was offered by the late Sir Joseph Paxton, the well-known 
designer of the Ciystal Palace, to his monarch ; and the great per- 
sonages of England hastened to Windsor Castle to admire the beauti- 
ful homonym of their gracious sovereign. 

The name given to this marvellous plant by Lindley was happily 
chosen ; but the natives of the Amazon call it " Uape Japona," — the 
Jacana's oven, — from the fact that the jacana is often seen upon it. 

The jacana is a singular 
spur-winged bird, twice 
the size of a woodcock, 
provided with exceedingly 
long and slender toes (from 
which the French term it 
the surgeon-bird) which 
enable it to glide over 
various water-plants. It 
inhabits the marshes, and 
woods near the water, and 
many a time in the in- 
terior I have seen it steal- 
ing over the lily -leaves on 
the jacana. the margin of rivers. 

Eeturning from this di- 
gression to the capabilities of the great river for steam-navigation, 
we remark that the extent of the Amazon and its affluents is 




The "King of Waters." 573 

immense. From four degrees north latitude to twenty degrees 
south, every stream that flows down the eastern slope of the Andes 
is a tributary of the Amazon. This is as though all the rivers 
from St. Petersburg to Madrid united their waters in one mighty 
flood. 

Geographers have never fully agreed which of the upper tribu- 
taries deserves to be called the main stream of the Amazon; but 
the most recent explorers are decided in considering the Tangu- 
ragua or Upper Maranon as its principal source. This rises in a 
lake — Lauricocha — situated almost in the region of perpetual 
snow. Nearly all the branches of the Amazon are navigable to a 
great distance from their junction with the main trunk, and, col- 
lecting the whole, afford an extent of water-communication un- 
paralleled in any other part of the globe. The Viscount of Bom 
Retiro in a work on the " Empire of Brazil," prepared for the Cen- 
tennial Exposition at Philadelphia, states that the Amazon and its 
affluents in Brazil has more than 26,000 miles of navigation. 

A volume of fresh water, constantly replenished by copious rains, 
pours forth with such impetus as to force itself— an unmixed cur- 
rent — into the ocean to the distance of eighty leagues. While the 
principal branch of the Ganges discharges 80,000 cubic feet of water 
per second, and the large Brahmapootra 176,200 cubic feet every 
sixtieth part of a minute, the Amazon sends through the narrows 
at Obidos 550,000 cubic feet per second. ( Von Martins.) 

This "king of waters" is remarkable for its wide-spreading 
tributaries. On the north side, the first from the west, below the 
rapids of Manseriche, is the Morona, and then come in succession 
the Pastaga, Tigre, Napo, lea, Japura, Eio Negro, and many 
streams of lesser note. From the south it receives — proceeding 
from west to east — the Huallaga, Ucayali, Yavari or Javary, 
Huta, Hyuruay, Teffe, Coary, Puriis, Madeira, Tapajos, Chingii, 
and Tocantins. Most of these affluents discharge their waters 
into the Amazon by more than one mouth, which frequently are 
widely apart. Thus, the two most distant of the four mouths 
of the Japura are more than two hundred miles asunder, and the 
outer embouchures of the Puriis are about one hundred miles from 
each other. In the upper portion of its course the Amazon divides 
Equador from Peru, between which its width varies from half a 



574 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

mile to a mile j beyond the limits of Equador it increases to two 
miles; and below the Madeira — its most considerable tributary, 
having a course little less than two thousand miles in length — it is 
nearly three miles. Between Faro and Obidos — to which place 
the tide reaches — it decreases to less than a mile j but below Obidos 
it widens again, and, after the junction of the Tapajos, it is nearly 
seven miles across. The width of the channel of Braganza do 
Xorte — the northern mouth of this vast river — is thirty miles 
opposite the island of Marajo and fifty at its embouchure; that 
of the Tangipura Channel is eighteen miles at the junction of the 
Tocantins and thirty at its mouth. 

While the whole area drained by the Mississippi and its branches 
is 1,200,000 square miles, the area of the Amazon and its tributaries 
(not including that of the Tocantins, which is larger than the Ohio 
Valley) is 2,330,000 square miles. This is more than a third of all 
South America, and equal to two-thirds of all Europe. Mr. Wallace 
has startled Englishmen with the fact that "all Western Europe 
could be placed in it without touching its boundaries, and it would 
even contain the whole of our Indian Empire." 

In 1851-52, Lieutenants (U. S. N.) Herndon and Gibbon de- 
scended the Amazon, — one by its Peruvian and the other by its 
Bolivian tributaries. Their interesting reports were published by 
the order of Congress, and are laid before the world. Lieutenant 
Gibbon passed over the most unknown route, and hence his work 
possesses more intrinsic interest. Lieutenant Herndon's volume 
not only for the moment awakened the United States and England 
to the importance of the Amazon, but the fact of his descent of that 
river and his inferences — many of them totally visionary — aroused 
the Brazilian Government to the performance of their duty, and in 
1852-53, Brazil, by treaty with Peru, engaged to run steamers, 
under the Brazilian flag, from Para, — the contractors to have the 
monopoly of steamboat-navigation on the Amazon for thirty years, 
with an annual bonus of one hundred thousand dollars for the first 
fifteen ; the voyage to be performed by two steamers, — one ascend- 
ing the Amazon from Para, the other descending it from Nauta, 
and meeting the up-boat at Barra. 

^sauta is in Peru, on the right bank of the Amazon, forty-six 
leagues below the junction of the Huallaga, and has a population 



Amazonian Steamers. 575 

of one thousand. This company, under the leading of that enter- 
prising Brazilian, the Visconde de Maud, immediately sent its first 
steamer from Para to Nauta. The association, in return for privileges 
granted, contracted to found numerous colonies in the provinces of 
Para and Amazonas. For several months colonists under the direc- 
tion of the Amazon Navigation Company arrived from Portugal and 
her islands at Para. The colonies at Obidos and at Serpa, and 
another at the mouth of the Rio Negro, did not prove successful. 
Although the company engaged to plant colonies above the Barra of 
the Rio Negro, one on the Rio Teffe, (above V. de Ega,) three on the 
Madeira, at Crato and Borba, two on the Tapajos, not far from San- 
tarem, and three on the Tocantins, the contract was never carried out. 

A few yea.vs ago this company became extinct as a Brazilian asso- 
ciation, and a new company was formed under the name of "The 
Amazonian Commercial and Navigation Compairy," the principal 
stockholders of which are English. It has an annual subsidy of 
$240,000 for its services, between Para and other points on the great 
river. Then there is the association with the official title of the 
" Companhia Fluvial do Alto Amazonas," with a subsidy of $48,000 
for services on the Upper Amazon in Brazil. Besides this, the navi- 
gation of the Araguaya, in the Province of Goaz, is subsidized to the 
extent of $20,000 per annum. Many of the vessels for this latter 
compan}^ were constructed at Wilmington, Del. If a Mississippi 
steamer could be taken from New Orleans to "the Amazon it would be 
best of all. 

I asked Mr. Nesbitt — a practical engineer who was for three years 
travelling on the Amazon and some of its navigable tributaries — his 
opinion of the navigation of the Upper Amazon, and of the steamer 
traffic on the great river. He replied, — 

" The Rio Negro, a few leagues above the Barra, spreads out into a very wide 
bay of some leagues in breadth, which renders steam navigation more diffi- 
cult than anywhere else on the lower river, as it becomes shallower on account of 
the great width ; but above this bay there is no trouble. There are several lakes 
adjacent to the Rio Negro, where large quantities of fish are caught, salted, and 
dried for market. There are a great many splendid localities for farming-purposes 
on the Rio Negro above the Barra. 

" All the steamers had as much business as they could well do, — those for the 
Barra more than they could do ; hence the necessity for weekly trips. 

" These steamers were fast superseding the square, stem-and-stern, crawling 
river-canoas ; for as soon as a trader makes one trip in a steamer he begins to set 
some value upon time, and forsakes his three-month mode of getting up stream 



576 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

for a three or four days' trip. Captain Pimento Bueno, (son of the distinguished 
Senator,) the energetic and gentlemanly general superintending agent, told me that, 
with the Government bonus and the merchants' business, the steamers paid exceed- 
ingly well. They are all good boats, and most of them built of iron, as that mate- 
rial is decidedly the best, on account of the worms that are so destructive in the 
Amazon. Every town on the river furnishes wood at a fixed rate. The business 
of the steamers is constantly on the increase ; and the industrious inhabitants 
of any of the villages can collect their syringa, Brazil-nuts, sarsaparilla, cacao, 
&c. &c. and send them down to Para by the steamer, and, on her return-trip, re- 
ceive their money. This is creating new artificial wants, and, of course, making 
the people exercise more industry for the purpose of supplying their newly- 
awakened demands. 

"These steamers certainly have done wonders in the last four years toward re- 
volutionizing the whole business of the Amazon Valley; for, even from Moyabamba, 
Tarapota, and other Peruvian towns among the mountains, they now bring down 
their products in canoes and on bolsas (rafts) to meet the steamer at Nauta, which 
they never thought of doing before. Neither are the advantages of steam confined 
to the business-relations of life ; but there is evidently an increasing desire on the 
part of the great mass of the people to learn more of the outside barbarians." 

Mr. Nesbitt thus states the effect of the sight of a steamer on 

the remote population of the Upper Amazon : — 

"As we would be passing a sand-bar on the upper rivers in Peru, where a steam- 
boat had never before been heard of, and while all the fishermen and fish-driers 
would be standing in amazement, gazing at the 'monster of the vasty deep,' — not 
knowing whether it was a spirit from the diabo or some new saint sent by the 
Immaculate Virgin, — I would touch the steam-whistle, which would give such an 
unearthly screech that men, women, children, dogs, and monkeys would take to 
their heels and run for dear life, and would never stop to allow me to make 
the amende honorable." 

I was desirous to obtain from this observant and practical man 
an opinion in regard to the views and theories of Lieutenants 
Maury and Herndon concerning the Amazon. In reply, he made 
the following statement : — 

" I think that Lieutenant Maury's letters are painted rather beyond nature ; but 
his ideas of the Amazon Valley and its capabilities are certainly, on the whole, 
nearer the mark than any other writer I have ever read. His theory of climate, and 
his reasons why the Valley of the Amazon is not like the same latitudes in Africa, 
&c. &c, are assuredly correct, in my humble opinion; for I was forcibly impressed 
with their correctness while on the spot. The rainy season is not the incessant 
'pouring down' of Africa, Central America, and the Orinoco-region. It is more 
of a showery season : it is true sometimes when it rains t it pours,' but the showers 
are of short duration comparatively, and they fall at such regular intervals that one 
can make his calculations for business-engagements almost to a certainty. And you 
will never have a day without seeing the sun more or less. 

" The dry-season is not feverish and scorching ; for scarcely a week — certainly 
not a fortnight — passes without one or more good showers. Such a thing as 
crops suffering for the want of moisture is not known on the Amazon. Although 



Herndon's Expedition — Peruvian Steamers. 577 

the days may be warm, the nights are always cool and pleasant, with very 
heavy dews. 

'■' Lieutenant Herndon's ideas of the low banks were just such as any person 
would form who travelled down the river in a canoe, as it is impossible for any one 
thus situated to form a correct estimate of the country. It would require years — 
not a few months — to learn the Valley as it ought to be learned. There is not 
nearly so much land subject to inundation as Herndon estimated : notwithstanding, 
there are considerable portions that are overflowed at high floods. Herndon's ex- 
pedition left its work unfinished ; but it was of vast service to the country on the 
Amazon, both directly and indirectly, — as that expedition, I have not the least doubt, 
was the lever that moved the Brazilian Government to promote steam-navigation on 
the Amazon. So that was the beginning ; ' but the end is not yet.' " 

In regard to the steamers ordered by Peru — which made the 
contract with Dr. Whittemore, formerly of Lima — to be built at 
New York and transported in pieces to Para, to be run in connec- 
tion with the steamers of the Brazilian and Amazon Navigation 
Company, Mr. Nesbitt gives me the following information: — 

"I went out with the steamei's to the Amazon, was with them while they were 
being reconstructed in Para, and, after they were ready to start up the river, I took 
command of one of them. Dr. Whittemore, our leader, commanded the other, and 
proceeded as far as the town of Obidos, where he turned them both over to me 
to deliver to the proper authorities, assisted by his friend, Mr. Z. B. Cavaly. Dr. 
Whittemore then returned to New York. 

" These steamers were not iron, — as frequently stated by newspaper paragraphs, — 
but were constructed of pure Georgia pine, frame, planking, and all. The smallest 
one was ninety feet long, called the Huallaga ; the other was one hundred and ten 
feet in length, called the Tirado, in honor of the then Secretary of State of Peru." 

In reply to the question, How did the Peruvian steamers turn 
out? Mr. N. replied as follows : — 

" They did not turn out so well as was anticipated, or as could have been desired 
for the credit of our country, whence they came. They were built very light, and 
poorly finished and furnished ; so much so, that the Peruvian Government officer 
who was appointed to receive them refused to do so, so that we were left some 
twenty-five hundred miles up the river from the ocean, with a couple of steamers 
and two American crews, without any provision being made either by the contractor 
or by the Peruvian Government for our support ; and of the stores we had on boa.rd 
a great portion was in a damaged state. Under these circumstances, the agents of 
the contractor were, from the necessity of the case, compelled to compromise with 
the Governor-General of Eastern Peru, — Colonel Francisco Alvarado Ortiz, — who 
had no authority delegated to him in the matter whatever by the Government of 
Peru, but who, in this disagreeable juncture, acted very fairly and was exceedingly 
liberal. By the compromise I had to remain in charge of the steamers until the 
Supreme Government would act in the matter. But the controversy is not yet 
finally settled, I believe, as a part of the contract-money is still due, and the 
Government refuses to pay it, on the ground that the contract was not complied 
with on the part of the contractor. 

" One of them, the Huallaga, never turned a paddle-wheel after she reached 
the port of Nauta, but was tied up to the bank, and was rotting all the time that I 

37 



578 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

was there. The other, the Tirado, made a few trips to various points above. 1 
took her on two occasions up the Rio Huallaga almost to Chasuta, which is nearly 
three thousand five hundred miles from the ocean: one of these trips was made during 
the lowest stage of water, and I never found less than fifteen feet water anywhere in the 
river-channel, — so that a steamer of ten feet draught can pass from the Pongo de Sal 
to the Atlantic Ocean any day in the year. These steamers are at the present mo- 
ment becoming more useless every day. Neither of the two boats have been run 
for any purpose since I left them, eighteen months ago ; neither, indeed, can they 
be used, as the Peruvians know nothing about the management of steamboats and 
the engineers have all returned to the United States. The use of them has never 
ueen worth a dollar to the Government, and never will be. 

" The Salt-rapid on the Huallaga, below Chasuta, is a natural curiosity. The 
banks of the river for more than a league are one solid mass of rock-salt, hard and 
clear as ice, in some places of a bluish-red color, and in others almost white, appa- 
rently the whole very pure, and in sufficient quantity to supply all South America 
for centuries. 

" I have ascended the Huallaga, Ucayali, Pastaca, Madeira, and a short distance 
above the Barra do Rio Negro. The Huallaga, as before mentioned, is navigable 
for steamers the year round, for vessels of ten feet draught, as high as the Pongo de 
Sal, without the least trouble, — and to Chasuta, with ordinary caution and care, — 
and for canoes from Tinga Maria (only three hundred miles from Lima) to the 
mouth, down stream; but the ascent by canoes is very difficult. The country is 
excellent, being very healthy and fertile, with numerous villages all along the banks. 
The Pastaca is a very fine little affluent, and is navigable for steamers several hun- 
dred miles the greatest part of the year ; but there are a number of tribes of hos- 
tile Indians on its lower waters. The land is most excellent, and the best Peruvian 
bark on the upper rivers is found on this stream. There are sometimes small 
quantities of gold brought down by the friendly Indians near its head-waters : I 
have seen some very fine specimens of it. The Ucayali can be ascended by a light- 
draught steamer nearly six hundred miles a part of the year, and as far as Sarayacu 
the whole year. The Rio Madeira is also a fine stream : it is navigable for any 
class of river-steamers to the Falls ; but at no time can a steamer ascend these 
rapids. However, above the dozen rapids, there is plenty of water for several hun- 
dred miles, for a small steamer, the year round." 

My two visits to the Amazon region confirm the views of Mr. Nes- 
bitt in regard to the productiveness of the Great Valley. 

I have referred incidentally to some of the natural products of that 
vast region, and will not dwell longer on the India-rubber, sarsaparilla, 
Brazil nuts, and the other well-known productions of forest and field ; 
but I wish to call attention to one which has only recently come to 
the notice of Americans and Europeans under the name of Guarana. 
At the French Exposition of 1867, a brown chocolate-colored sub- 
stance figured under the head of the medicines from Brazil. This 
brown material might at first sight have been taken for chocolate cast 
in the form of serpents, diminutive turtles, tapirs, &c. It was, how- 
ever, a remedy which has been used for centuries in Brazil and 



Effect of Lieutenant Maury's Letters in Brazil. 579 

Bolivia, and which has lately become one of the most fashionable 
antifebrile remedies in Paris. Guarana is the indigenous name of 
this new contribution to civilized Pharmacy. The junior author has 
often partaken of it on the Amazon ; and as many have recently 
inquired concerning the Guarana, a short notice of it may be inter- 
esting. Dr. Cotting of Roxbury, Mass., gives a brief account of it 
in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal for February 7, 1867, 
pages 20, 21. On the west bank of the river Tapajos (excepting the 
Madeira, the longest southern affluent of the Amazon) lives a tribe 
of Indians called the Mauhes or Maues, who prepare from the seeds 
of a small climbing plant (the Paullinia sorbilis) the Guarana. The 
plant bears berries somewhat larger than coffee-berries, and two in a 
capsule, not unlike the coffee. These are roasted, ground, mixed 
with a little water, made into various shapes, and dried to hardness 
in an oven. Grated and dissolved in water or lemonade, it is highly 
esteemed as a refreshing and stimulating drink. It is much used by 
the inhabitants of Matto Grosso and other interior provinces, and 
sometimes, it is said, to such an excess as to produce great tremu- 
lousness. It is also much used as a remedy in diarrhoea and inter- 
mittent fever. Dr. James C. White of Boston, who has analyzed 
the Guarana, has given the public his analysis in a very interesting 
paper. The late Visconde do Porto Seguro (Vanhargen) , Brazilian 
Minister Plenipotentiary to Austria, stated in a paper sent to the 
Brazilian Government, that Guarana had become a popular remedy 
in Vienna and other parts of the Empire, not only for nervousness, 
but for certain u rebellious conditions of the stomach." This new 
medicine bids fair to become popular. 

In 1853, a translation of Lieutenant Maury's letters was published 
in the widefy-circulated Correio Mercantil of Rio de Janeiro ; and I 
well remember the commotion his communications on the Amazon 
caused at the capital, in connection with a report that a " filibuster- 
ing " expedition was fitting out at New York to force the opening of 
the great river. 

It is certainly a matter of deep regret that one whose writings 
and scientific investigations have (notwithstanding his manifold 
short-comings in regard to his own countr} T ) blessed and are bless- 
ing the world, should have permitted himself to make use of lan- 
guage which could only inflame a sensitive nation, and of some 



580 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

arguments which can only tend to " filibustiering." If Lieutenant 
Maury had left out the offensive language, and a portion of his 
reasoning, which has been by Brazilians legitimately construed as 
nothing less than an advocacy of the theory that might makes 
right, I believe that it would have spared much unnecessary sus- 
picion and jealousy. Since that time a better feeling has been 
growing between the two countries ; and we are sure that the time 
will come when both governments will be closely linked by com- 
mercial interest, while we should receive Brazil's great staples free 
of duty, and that which is exported by us to Brazil ought not to 
be heavily taxed. The property of our citizens dying intestate is 
administered by the Brazilian Government in a manner that never 
gives satisfaction. Outrages committed upon citizens of the United 
States in distant portions of the Empire in 1853 very tardily met 
with redress from the interior magistrates, whose feeling toward 
Norte Americanos w T ere embittered for a time by the conclusions 
arrived at after reading the letters of Tenente Maury. 

Whether the Amazon region, at least in the vicinity of the great 
river, can ever be thickly peopled by a more Northern race, remains 
to be seen. It is in one range of temperature, (not like the Missis- 
sippi, which enjoys ever} 7 variety of climate,) and is as yet an almost 
unbroken wilderness. Some persons who have given much attention 
to this subject argue from the nature of the case that the provinces 
of Para and Amazonas can never become flourishing rendezvous for 
Northerners. But, as Brazil differs from all other tropical countries, 
it ma} 7 be that the "howling wilderness" of the Amazon will yet 
smile with industry and civilization. This was my conviction when 
in that valley. 

But a great change came over this northern region contempora- 
neously with the freedom of the coast trade, for the opening of the 
Amazon, which occurred on the 7th of September, 1867, and by 
which the Great River is free to the flags of all nations from the 
Atlantic to Peru, and the abrogation of the monopoly of the Coast 
Trade from the Amazon to the Rio Grande do Sul, whereby four 
thousand miles of Brazilian sea-coast are open to the vessels of 
every country, cannot fail not only to develop the resources of Brazil, 
but these measures will prove a great benefit to the bordering Hispano- 
American Republics and to the maritime nations of the earth. The 



Vastness of the Amazon Valley. 581 

opening of the Amazon is the most significant indication that the 
leaven of old narrow, monopolistic Portuguese conservatism has at 
last worked out. Portugal would not allow Humboldt to enter the 
Amazon valle} T in Brazil. The result of the new polic}- is be} r ond 
the most sanguine expectation. The exports and imports of Para 
for October and November, 1867, were double those of 1866. This 
was but the beginning. The development of the commerce of that 
region has been extraordinaiy. What a contrast between the exports 
from the Amazon in 1840 and 1874 ! In 1840 all the exports did 
not amount to $300,000, while the annual average from 1869 to 1874 
was more than $9,000,000. (U Empire de Bresil, page 473.) 

About one-half of Bolivia, two-thirds of Peru, three-fourths of 
Equador, and one-half of New Grenada, are drained hy the Amazon 
and its tributaries. Soon it will be found that it is cheaper for all 
Bolivia, Peru, Equador, and New Grenada east of the Andes to 
receive their goods from, and to export their India-rubber, cinchona, 
&c, &c, to the United States and Europe via the great water high- 
way which discharges into the Atlantic, than by the long, circuitous 
route of Cape Horn, or the Trans-Isthmian route of Panama. The 
Purus and the Madeira are hereafter to be navigated by steamers. 
But the full development of commerce here cannot be realized with- 
out finishing the railway around the falls of the Madeira. The valley 
of the Amazon in Brazil is as large as the area of the United States 
east of Colorado, while the whole valle}^ of the Amazon, in and out of 
Brazil, is equal to all the United States east of California, Oregon, 
and Washington Territory ; and yet the population is not equal to 
the combined inhabitants of Boston and Chicago. It is estimated 
that a larger population can be sustained in the valley of the Amazon 
than elsewhere on the globe ; but it will never be peopled until there 
is as complete freedom for emigrants, and as entire absence of red- 
tape ism in Brazil as exist in the United States. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

DISCUSSION OF SLAVERY — EFFECT OF EMANCIPATION LAW — THE APPRENTICE SYSTEM 
— DOM PEDRO IN EUROPE — THE EMPEROR IN THE UNITED STATES — BRAZIL AT THE 
CENTENNIAL — UNITED STATES COMMERCE WITH BRAZIL — DIFFICULTIES OF AMERI- 
CAN COMMERCE WITH BRAZIL — TRADE-MARK TREATY. 

In this chapter I desire to describe some important events in con- 
nection with Brazil, since the year 1871. This will include the 
passage of the Emancipation Act in 1871 ; the journeys of the 
Emperor abroad in 1871-72, and in 1876-77 ; and some consider- 
ations of the social and commercial relations between the United 
States and Brazil. 

While there have always been some philanthropic men amongst the 
Portuguese and their descendants, who deplored and denounced as 
a cruel wrong the African Slave-trade, domestic slavery and the 
former treatment of Indians, but few had the courage or the in- 
fluence to make their opinions felt, either in Portugal or Brazil. 

It was early understood that the present Emperor was in favor of 
some mode of emancipation, and the subject became a matter of 
stiKty, after the African Slave-trade was broken up in 1850. From 
time to time his sentiments and that of the leading statesmen of 
Brazil became known, and in 1865, there was quite a spirited debate 
on this subject in the Brazilian Senate when passing resolutions on 
the reception of the news of the death of President Lincoln. At the 
request of Professor Laboulaye of Paris, I furnished both him and 
M. Cochin that discussion, and statistics of slavery in Brazil. The 
result was some most able articles on the subject by Professor 
Laboula}'e in the Journal des Debats. In 1864, when at Rio de Ja- 
neiro, I was almost implored by some of the members of the Bra- 
zilian Parliament — amongst whom was the late A. C. Tavarea 
Bastos — to send to Brazil works on emancipation. The same 
request also came from higher quarters. Through some of the 
leading journals of the United States I made an appeal for works 
bearing on the subject of slavery* The response was generous in 
the three cities of New York, Boston and Providence, and these 
582 



Discussion of Slavery. 583 

volumes were gratefully received both in the palace and in the homes 
of eminent Brazilians. I recall that the works which were the most 
impressive in their effects, were those of the late George Livermore, 
of Cambridge, Mass. (on the status of the negro as the slave, the 
citizen, and the soldier), and the tracts and pamphlets of Mrs. Lydia 
Maria Child. The collapse of slavery in the United States, in 1865, 
had also a powerful effect in directing the minds of the Brazilian 
leaders to this subject. Silveira da Motta, the senator from Goyaz, 
immediately brought in a bill to limit slavery. This senator, though 
a '• great talker," was neither an eloquent nor an impressive speaker, 
but the debate evoked by his bill brought into the arena men like the 
late Visconde Jequitinhonha (Montezuma), who spoke forcibly on 
the question. It was on this occasion, that Mr. Livermore's book 
(which had only been four weeks in Rio) , was freely quoted on both 
sides. The Paraguayan war, which began in 1865, and did not end 
until March. 1870, absorbed the attention of the nation almost to 
the exclusion of any other subject ; but, notwithstanding this, there 
were Brazilians (and amongst them Dom Pedro II.), who did not 
forget the subject of slaven\ In 1868, the question of emancipation 
took a more definite form in the expressions of the emperor. It was 
the knowledge of this, that caused the " Quaker" poet, Whittier, to 
write his spirited verses entitled u Freedom in Brazil," in which he 
spoke words of encouragement to the "great-hearted ruler" of 
whom he said : — 

" Crowned doubly by man's blessing and God's grace, 

Thy future is secure ; 
Who frees a people makes his statue's place 

In Time's- Valhalla, sure. 

And he whose grave is holy by our calm 

And prairied Sangamon, 
From his gaunt hand shall drop the martyr's palm 

To greet thee with ' Well done ! ' " 

No sooner was the Paraguayan war finished, than the subject was 
brought prominently before the Parliament, eight-tenths of whose 
members, in both houses, were slave-holders, and one-half of whom 
were planters. In 1871, the Emperor once more in urgent lan- 
guage appealed to the representatives of the nation to do their duty 
on this important question. The Cabinet was that in which the 



584 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Visconde do Rio Branco was Premier. The subject was sent to 
a committee of whom Sr. Pinto de Campos was the chairman. This 
gentleman was the reporter for the committee, and brought in a bill 
providing for the gradual emancipation of the slaves, and for the 
prevention of any persons being born in slavery. The bill encoun- 
tered severe opposition, and it was a strange sight to see those who 
prided themselves on their liberal principles, opposing a measure 
which looked to the extinction of the "accursed thing." In the 
debate, Sr. Zacarias de Goes Vasconcellos, who professed to be a 
liberal and in favor of emancipation, called the law contemplated 
inopportune, and objected to the manner of its initiation. He said 
44 His Majesty took the initiative in this matter." He wished it to 
have originated with the Cabinet, and then proposed through the 
Emperor ; to use his own language 44 initiated by the Emperor at the 
direction of the Cabinet." 

In the long and able discussion there were evidently three parties, 
viz. : (1.) Those in favor of gradual emancipation and the plan of 
apprenticeship for those born free; (2.) Those who either seriously 
believed the bill not radical enough or contended that it was inoppor- 
tune ; and (3.) Those who were opposed to it from partisan motives, 
or from a blinded conviction arising from selfish or other considera- 
tions, that slavery 44 in and of itself was good." 

Finally the bill, in spite of all opposition, was passed, and became a 
law of the land by the signature of the Princess Imperial (who was 
regent in the absence of the Emperor) on the 28th of September, 1871, 
and from that date it was enacted ' ' that children henceforth born of 
slave women shall be considered of free condition " — considerados de 
condicao livre. Such children are not to be actuall}' free, but are bound 
to serve the owners of their mothers for a term of twenty-one 3'ears, 
under the name of 44 apprentices." These must work, under severe 
penalties, for their hereditary masters ; but if the latter inflict on them 
excessive bodily punishment, they are allowed to bring suit in a crimi- 
nal court, which ma}' declare their freedom. A provision was also 
made for the emancipation of government slaves ; and there was a 
clause which insured a certain sum, to be annually set aside from 
fines, which was to aid each province in emancipating by purchase a 
certain number of slaves. 

At the time there were a variety of projects and amendments, but 




< 



£sOtZ^tr~2^- 



^/c_ ^C 



<&. 



Effect of Emancipation Law. 585 

none seemed more practical than that which passed. Sr. J. C. Rod- 
rigues, in the Novo Mundo, very justly observes that " the defects of the 
law of Sept. 28, 1871, are many," but " the project which the Brazilian 
executive presented, and caused to become a law, has for us, the un- 
compromising friends of human freedom, an advantage over all other 
methods proposed : viz., it goes to the very root of the matter, aye, 
more, it strikes at the very germ of the evil." 

An}' project would have encountered great opposition, and those 
who considered the question inopportune would have encountered the 
same objection had they been in power and had brought forward any 
other plan. As Sr. Rodrigues says, there "are many defects" in 
the law, but it is the entering wedge which will effect greater results, 
and all from the Princess Regent, who affixed her signature to the act, 
to the most obscure deputy who voted for it, will ever look back with 
pride to the step taken in the direction of freedom on the 28th of 
September, 1871. 

The passage of this law did not prove merely prospective in its 
effects. In a very short time the sums placed aside for emancipating 
slaves by purchase, resulted in the freedom of many bondmen. And 
more than this, there seemed to be a generous private rivalry in the 
good work from motives of benevolence and from religious influence. 
Many persons in various parts of Brazil liberated their slaves without 
compensation — while then, and ever since, persons dj'ing were fre- 
quently influenced by their own consciences, or by ecclesiastics, to 
leave a clause in their wills granting full and unrecompensed manu- 
mission to the human beings they had held in bondage. I am happy 
to sa} T that the number liberated, either b}^ the provisions of the State 
or by private individuals, is always in an increasing ratio. When the 
writer first went to Brazil, twenty-seven years ago, it was estimated 
that there were three millions in slavey. By private manumission, 
and by slaves purchasing their own freedom, there were, at the 
beginning of 1875, when the law of emancipation had been but a little 
more than three 3-ears in operation, 1,476,567 slaves. If twenty 
years without an emancipation act, and no law to restrict slaver} T by 
birth — and three years of a prospective emancipation law, — and 
the complete restriction of birth-slaves, have reduced the number 
of bondmen one-half, it can be easily seen that slavery will be com- 
pletely abolished before 1900. 



586 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

But why wait so long ? Is not Brazil in the name of humanity and 
self-interest ready to take other measures which will more speedily, 
and yet peacefully, bring about the desired end ? May God give her 
ruler and her statesmen the wisdom to act promptly in this matter. 

The question will certainly soon come up before the Brazilian Par- 
liament in another form. I refer to the Apprentice System. Only 
seven yesas have elapsed since the first child, of a slave mother, has 
been born free in Brazil. It is estimated that the number of births 
since Sept. 28, 1871, amounted in 1878 to 248,000 or one sixth of 
the entire slave population. From statistics furnished by the Minis- 
ter of Agriculture in 1878, in regard to the free-born children of the 
Province of Rio, I should judge that the rate of mortality was less 
than one-third — that is less than the mortality of the children born 
of Irish parents in some of our cities. As these children grow up 
with the knowledge that there is a difference between them and their 
parents, the more thoughtful of them will not be amenable, or sub- 
missive to the rule of task-masters. The overseers (feitores) in 
Brazil are, as a rule, Portuguese of peasant origin either from Portu- 
gal, the Azores, Madeira, or the Cape de Verdes. They are generally 
cruel, avaricious, and sensual. These three things make them anti- 
pathetic to both master and slave. They " feather their own nests" 
at the expense of the planter ; they are cruelly severe without judg- 
ment to the slave ; and the slave-women are completely at their 
mercy. Formerly there was no redress from these men, who, like 
the former northern overseers in our own Southern States, had no 
ties to bind them either to the country or to the family of the proprie- 
tor. But it has been noted that, since 1871, more feitores than ever 
before have fallen at the hand of the cruelly treated, or (in case of the 
bondman's wife) the cruelly wronged slave. Overseers must change 
their course, or the individual slave who looks forward to liberty will 
take the law into his own hands. In ten years from this time, a hun- 
dred thousand men from sixteen to eighteen }'ears of age will be held 
in a bondage which is but one degree removed from slavery, and pos- 
sesses many of the worst elements of slavery. No one can read the 
law as regards apprentices without feeling. what a terrible power, not- 
withstanding its written safeguards, the master has over the free-born 
man until he is twenty-one years old. Now if such men, young as they 
are, see the oppression of their parents, and behold justice, wages 



The Apprentice System. 587 

and education, denied themselves — as cannot help being the case in 
the rural districts, where the magistrate is "hand and glove" with 
those who claim the services of the apprentice — it can easily be 
seen that individual wrongs will fade away : the wrong suffered b}' 
the whole body will loom up in its place, and combinations will arise 
like those which in the year 1878 deluged with riot, incendiarism and 
blood the Danish Island of Santa Cruz. In Santa Cruz there was an 
apprentice s} T stem which from the very causes hinted at has resulted 
most disastrously both for white and black. 

There is no doubt that the Emperor and Brazilian statesmen are 
reflecting upon this important question, which, sooner or later, must 
force itself upon the Parliament. I have before me a letter dated 
Rio de Janeiro, Oct. 6, 1878, and which was published in the " New 
York Herald." It is evidently written by some thoughtful person 
who has resided for years in Brazil, and is fully posted as to the facts. 
He says : — 

" The Emperor is much interested in dealing with the future prospects of the 
numerous freeborn children of slaves, who will be thrown on the government's 
hands, twelve months hence, in accordance with the Free Birth law of Sept. 28, 
1871. There is little known as yet as to the actual number of these freeborn 
children of slaves, but it is probable that the report of the Minister of Agri- 
culture to the coming Legislature will deal largely with a matter which next 
year must be treated practically. In the province of Rio Janeiro, where there 
are 370,000 slaves, the number of their children born free since Sept. 28, 1871, 
is 62,000, of whom 18,300 have died. At the same rate there should now exist 
in all the Empire 248,000 of these children, technically termed ingenuos, and in 
the year after the 29th of September, 1879, the government could be called upon 
to receive from the owners of the mothers some 25,000 children — namely, those 
who had attained eight years, at which age the masters have the option to 
retain them to twenty-one, paying them small wages and educating them, or to 
receive from the government a bond carrying six per cent interest on six 
hundred milreis for thirty years." 

It cannot but be the prayer of every patriotic Brazilian, and of all 
philanthropists everywhere, that this difficult question may soon be 
solved by wise laws and provisions, of which the law of 1871 is but 
the first stepping-stone. Elsewhere in these pages it has been shown 
that color is no bar to advancement in Brazil, and in this respect she 
is far better off than the United States. When the complete emanci- 
pation of the African race shall come about there, no one will ever 
hear of scenes that have disgraced our, so-called, more Christian 
country. 



588 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

In the speech from the throne, delivered in May, 1871, and which 
initiated the subject of emancipation, the Emperor asked from the 
Parliament permission to absent himself from the Empire to journey 
in the Old World. On the 17th of May, a law was enacted which 
granted this permission, and which at the same time confirmed the 
suggestion of the Emperor that the Imperial Princess, Donna Isa- 
bella ' ' should act as Regent with all the attributes pertaining to 
the moderative power (Poder moderador), and to the chief of the 
Executive power." 

On the 25th of May the Emperor, the Empress, and a small suite of 
attendants, embarked on the English merchant steam-ship " Douro" 
for Lisbon. Arriving in the Tagus, before the capital of the Portu- 
guese Monarchy, whence his grandfather (Dom Joao VI.) and father 
had sailed for Brazil sixty-four years previously, an incident took 
place, which was characteristic of the Emperor as a man, and 
formed the kej-note to his future conduct in Europe. The passen- 
gers of the " Douro" were declared to be in quarantine. The King 
of Portugal — the nephew of the Emperor — wished, however, to 
make an exception of D. Pedro II., and sent a special steamer 
fitted up in royal style, commanded by officers of the navy, and 
having on board gentlemen of the palace, to inform his Imperial 
Majesty, that the steamer had come to convey H. I. M. to the 
shore, where his royal nephew and a palace awaited him and his 
Empress, the Emperor immediately asked if his fellow-passengers 
(mostly Portuguese merchants returning from Brazil) , were also to 
be exempted from quarantine. Receiving a negative reply he 
immediately said, " Thank His Majesty Dom Luiz, and say to him 
that I am travelling incognito, and am subject to the same laws as 
these gentlemen who came with me on the ' Douro,' and I will 
serve out the quarantine with them." The next day, all the passen- 
gers left by the "Douro" at Lisbon (for the "Douro" continued 
her voyage to England,) were transferred to the quarantine building 
across the Tagus, where the Emperor, as a supposed infected pas- 
senger, served out his time under the title of a nobleman, "Dom 
Pedro d' Alcantara." He dropped his official title during the time 
of both his tours abroad, and whenever he had occasion to sign his 
name it invariably appeared (as it does on the frontispiece of this 
book) " D. Pedro d' Alcantara." 



Dom Pedro in Europe. 589 

When released from the Lazaretto, he went to a hotel instead of 
occupying a palace at the expense of the Portuguese Government. 
It ma}' be added that in both journeys the Imperial party did not 
travel at the expense of the State, but the Emperor defrayed the 
whole cost of himself and suite from his own salary. It was under- 
stood, in 1876, that when some members of the United States Cabi- 
net went down the harbor of New York in a war-steamer to meet the 
Emperor and Empress (who came on a merchant steamer) , they were 
very much chagrined that the Emperor declined the invitation to 
accept the official vessel and a triumphant aquatic procession to the 
metropolis of the New World. But if these gentlemen had remem- 
bered that, in his first journey to Europe, palaces, and all kinds of 
attention were proffered the Emperor in every capital of the Old 
World, and that he politely declined official honors and hospi- 
tality, and steadily pursued his independent course, unhampered by 
the etiquette of courts which would have consumed his whole time, 
they would have understood the Emperor's course at New York. 
But neither in Europe nor America did he offensively thrust away 
from him these attentions. Only once did he fall back on his incog- 
nito, when in an insignificant city in Southern Europe, where a small 
hotel demanded £250 per diem (for inferior accommodations) when, 
for the magnificent service at Claridge's in London, and the Grand 
Hotel in Paris, the price per diem- was but £40. When the treasurer 
of the party demanded an explanation of a bill of $5000 for four days, 
the inn-keeper replied " Oh, we do not have an Emperor every day." 
This reply being told the Emperor, he instructed his treasurer to in- 
form "mine host" that he (Dom Pedro) " had some rights as a 
man" that he was " not travelling as an Mmperor" — but that for 
the sake of peace he would pay four times the sum that was paid at 
the Grand Hotel, although he considered even that an imposition and 
a swindle. 

I do not need to recount this first journey of the Emperor — of his 
visit to renowned places and persons, of the rapidity of his travel, 
and of his intelligent understanding of all he saw, thanks to his thor- 
ough and extensive study of foreign lands by books, from the time 
that he, a little boy, had been committed to the care of Jose Bonifa- 
cio de Andrada. 

He returned to Brazil, April, 1872. The Emperor's journey re- 



590 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

suited in much good to the country, and educational affairs and in- 
ternal improvements received a new impulse from what he learned 
abroad. 

Soon after his return from Europe, he introduced a curious reform 
in the palace : viz., the complete abolition of the beija-mao — the hand- 
kissing ceremony — which was gone through by every Brazilian, 
from Cabinet Ministers to the lowest subject, who approached the 
monarch or any of the Imperial family. This step should have been 
followed by the complete abolition of another custom — referred to on 
page 492, — which is called the cortejo. This takes place in all the 
Provincial palaces on the Emperor's birthday, when various officials 
and private citizens go to pa} r their respects to the President of the 
Province. A portrait of the Emperor occupies the place of honor in 
the large drawing-room, and every individual present passes before it 
and bows to it. This, certainty, is far more objectionable than kiss- 
ing the living Emperor's hand — a custom which has come down from 
the old Portuguese monarchy. 

But the most important journey ever made Iry the monarch took 
place in 1876. In 1872, the Emperor remarked to the junior author, 
who was then residing at Oporto, Portugal, that it was his intention 
to make his next visit to the United States. The Centennial Exposi- 
tion at Philadelphia was a fitting occasion to carry out this plan. 

Leaving the Princess Imperial as Regent for the second time, the 
Emperor and Empress, accompanied b}^ their suite, embarked upon the 
merchant steamer tk Hevelius," and arrived in New York on the 15th 
of April. It was the first time that a monarch ever visited the United 
States, his grandfather, Dom Joao, being the only legitimately 
crowned European potentate who ever placed foot on the continent of 
America. But the Emperor of Brazil did not come to make a pa- 
geant-tour or a display of monarchical splendor. He came, as he said, 
on one occasion, as the tl first citizen of Brazil" to be present at the 
celebration of the close of a century of freedom in a great constitu- 
tional country, and to aid in representing the products and the indus- 
tries of the second nation on the American continent. Indeed, he 
felt that the representation of the country of Brazil at the great expo- 
sition was of " far more and exceeding" importance than demonstra- 
tions to the monarch of Brazil. Hence, in the grand opening of the 
Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia on the 10th of May, 1876, Dom 



The Emperok in the United States. 591 

Pedro, accompanied by the Empress, his suite, and the Brazilian 

minister, modestly took his place with the diplomatic corps and the 
members of the Cabinet. It was not until the grand opening cere- 
mony by music and orations was finished, that the Emperor left this 
position, at the invitation of President Grant, to accompany the Presi- 
dent around the building. It was on this occasion that the President 
and the Emperor — the executive beads of the two strongest nations 
on the western continent — both touched the little lever which set in 
motion that magnificent work of science and mechanism, the Corliss 
engine, thai gave the motive power to the thousand machines of won- 
derful invention which filled the vast halls at Fairmount Park. 

In keeping with his own plan, Dom Pedro avoided public demon- 
stration ; but rapidly journeyed through the length and breadth of the 
United States from New York to San Francisco, from the great Lakes 
to the G-ulf, studying by inspection the curious, the new, and the use- 
ful features of our country, lie usually devoted to sight-seeing and 
investigation sixteen hours every day that he was in America from 
his arrival in mid-April to the time of his departure for Europe in the 
latter half of July. 

One would have thought that after an ocean journey of 5,000 
miles from Brazil to the United States, he would have quietly reposed 
for days, but arriving in the afternoon of the 15th of April, we find 
him that evening at some public place; and the next morning (Sun- 
day) attending first the early service in the cathedral; then going to 
the great meeting of Moody and Sankey, spending an hour; after 
which lie visited the news-boys' home. Later in the day, he inspected 
some of the engine-rooms of the well-disciplined fire department of 
New York ; and finally he looked into a few of the police stations 
of the American metropolis. 

Everywhere the grand features of nature, the material progress as 
well as education and science in the United Stales, attracted his atten- 
tion and investigation. With our scientific and literary men he was 
more familiar by their works and writings than many an American 
citizen. We find him one day at the extreme South — now meeting 
with the health-commissioners at New Orleans to listen to their views 
on the yellow fever, that fell disease eommon to both countries, — 
and now he is with his suite visiting the u Eades jetties" at the 
mouth of the Mississippi. At another time he gazes upon the won- 



592 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ders of Niagara, or looks upon the power of Great Britain in Can- 
ada. Again we find him in the naval school at Annapolis ; at the 
United States military academy, West Point ; or asking after Professor 
Loomis at New Haven ; or visiting in Massachusetts the poets Long- 
fellow, Lowell, and Whittier, — and in little Rhode Island, Bancroft, 
the historian of America. Historical and geographical societies every- 
where held special meetings for the constant patron and attendant of 
similar societies at the capital of Brazil. 

Nor were families unvisited. Sometimes he entered American 
homes with no companions but the Empress and the ever genial and 
energetic Viscount of Bom Retiro ; and again he accepted invitations 
to parties given by some of the wealthy and prominent citizens of 
America. Amongst such social gatherings, that which left the deep- 
est impression was given by George W. Childs, Esq., of Phila- 
delphia, May 10, 1876, beneath whose ample and hospitable roof were 
found, besides the Imperial guests, the President of the nation, the ■ 
representatives of foreign courts, and many of the leading men and 
women of America. The next .year, in Naples, the Emperor gave 
a large private reception, and was heard to speak in unmeasured 
terms of the delight given him to be present at that brilliant gather- 
ing in the home of Mr. Childs. 

If the monarch of Brazil attracted the attention of the citizens of 
the United States, not less did the exhibition of the material progress 
and the products of Brazil excite the attention and the interest of all. 
The Brazilian department in its external appearance, and the arrange- 
ments of the vast collection, proved exceedingly attractive and re- 
dounded to the credit of the committee representing Brazil at Phila- 
delphia, of which Sr. de Carvalho Borges, the minister plenipoten- 
tiar}' to the United States, was ex officio President, and the active Sr. 
Lopes Netto was Vice-President. It was owing to the great energy of 
Sr. Lopes Netto that the arrangements were so tasteful and complete. 
The Brazilian department called forth great admiration from the 
people of the United States. Brazil had 1 ,104 exhibitors and received 
421 premiums, thus leaving at a great distance the other States of 
South America. The Argentine Confederation and Chili are of the 
Spanish- American Republics the first in progress and prosperity. The 
former received eighty and the latter forty premiums. Brazil, i.e., 
Portuguese America, has a free population equal to twice the inhabi- 



United States Commerce with Brazil. 593 

tants of the above-named countries, but Jier share of premiums was 
more than three and one half times those of the Argentine Republic 
and Chili. 

There is no need of specifying the various articles in this rich col- 
lection from Brazil, but I will except the principal staple, coffee. 
Brazilian coffee, not only in this exposition, but in those of Paris and 
Vienna, carried awa} r the first prizes for excellence. It is not gener- 
ally known that "Mocha," "Java," " Laguayra," and "Rio" are com- 
mercial terms like "Nankeen," "Cambric," and "Calico." No one 
in European or American markets dreams that these different kinds 
of textile fabrics were made in Nankin, Cambrai. or in Calicut (on 
the Malabar coast). The greater part of the " Mocha" in England, 
France, and the United States, comes from Brazil. Professor Agassiz 
and Sr. J. C. Rodrigues both recommended that the Brazilians make 
a different system, an entire change in classifying their coffee, so that 
in the markets of the world it may stand as " Brazilian" coffee, and 
not by terms derived from other lands. Brazil furnishes two- thirds 
of the coffee of the globe, and with right and systematic culture there 
seems in its millions of uncultivated acres scarcely a limit to its pro- 
duction. 

To conclude with the exposition, it may be said that the Brazilian 
department was a grand success, and served to link the two countries 
more closely together. The attention of many thousand business 
men of the United States was directed for the first time to this South 
American neighbor, and they were astonished to find that Brazil sold 
us six times more than we sold to her in return. The astonishment 
was still greater when the comparative statistics of commerce between 
Brazil and other nations were made known through the free distribu- 
tion of a timely book entitled " The Empire of Brazil." This work, 
prepared under the supervision of the Viscount of Bom Retiro, gave 
a very excellent general view of the whole empire in its various as- 
pects — natural, political, social, and industrial. It was then that 
the American learned that a country on the same side of the conti- 
nent which had wants that could be fully supplied from the United 
States, annually exported to the North American Republic a large 
quanthv^ of her productions, but from some cause or another, bought 
very little in return. He learned that of the export trade to Brazil 
Great Britain had 51 per cent, France, 19^ per cent, the La Platan 



594 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

States, 9£ per cent, Germany, 5£ per cent, Portugal, more than 
5 per cent, and the United States, 4§ per cent. The idea that 
insignificant Portugal should rank higher in exports to Brazil than the 
great commercial country of America ! In the statistics of importa- 
tion the reader of the " Empire of Brazil" learned that Great Britain, 
France, Germany, Portugal, the La Platan States, Belgium, Denmark, 
and Spain, all bought less than they sold to Brazil ; while the United 
States, Holland, Italy, and the countries on the Baltic purchased 
more from Brazil than the} 7 sold to her. 

The Viscount of Bom Retiro very pertinently says that (amongst 
other reasons) the increase of the commercial "prosperity of the 
Empire during the last few years has arisen from the development of 
Trans-Atlantic Steam Navigation." At Rio de Janeiro alone there 
arrived in each month of 1874 twelve steamers from England, two 
from France, two from Germany, two from Belgium, one from Por- 
tugal, and one from Italy. In the northern part of the Empire there 
were other arrivals, so that twenty-four steamers per month reached 
the shores of Brazil from Europe ; and it is believed that there are 
now each year about 300 arrivals in, and as many departures from 
Brazil of European steamers. Some of these lines from the start 
were heavily subsidized by their governments. Direct subsidies 
from England, France, Germany and Italy continue to this day, 
while several of the lines have indirect aid. Now, the United States 
have, to offset this great competition, one unsubsidized steamship 
line, making twelve round trips annually, and this we owe to the 
energy and sacrifices of Messrs. John Roach and Son, of New York. 
We may reason as much as we choose that it is better for Brazil to 
buy of the United States — that the latter country makes better 
agricultural implements (and more adapted to Brazil) , better common 
textile fabrics, and superior machinery for a new country, than Eng- 
land, France, and Germany, } T et just so long as these countries, by 
their subsidized steam-lines, can more easily carry Brazilian customers 
to and from a mafket, and can transport freights at a cheaper rate, 
just so long will the merchants and manufacturers of the United 
States be at a disadvantage. The first apparent difficulty, then, 
in the way, is a want of frequent, regular and swift steam com- 
munication. In order that there should be anything like a competi- 
tion with Europe there should be at least semi-monthly lines to 



Difficulties of American Commerce in Brazil. 595 

Brazil, — one from New York and the other from New Orleans. 
The South and the Mississippi valley, with such cities as New 
Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and the Lake region represented by 
Chicago, for exports and imports would depend upon a southern 
port. While the authors believe that, as a general thing, com- 
merce should be free and unfettered, there ma}- be circumstances, as 
in this very case, where government aid should come in, and at no 
period could it be more timely than now. 

These lines, aided by the whole people through the government, are 
not only important and urgent for Brazil, but for ail the South Ameri- 
can trade. Mr. Wm. S. Auchincloss, of Wilmington, Delaware, has 
shown us in his very interesting " Ninety Days in the Tropics," that 
" England, more alert than we are, exerts every effort to control the 
South American Market, and — b}- means of her fast lines of steam- 
ers, the perseverance of her merchants, and the large capital at their 
command — has secured a reward which her enterprise richly merits. 
In order to show more clearly the extent of our supineness in this 
regard, I will compare Great Britain's South American trade with that 
of our own country, in 1873 ; [Mr. A. gives exports and imports by 
each country, but I merely give the totals] : 

Total exports from the United States to South America .... $ 63,962,000 

Total exports from Great Britain „ „ .... 117,789,000 

Total imports from the United States into South America . . . 27,680,000 

Total imports from Great Britain „ „ .... 111,915,000 

"In a word, South America exports to Great Britain 84 per cent 
more than she does to the United States ; and South America pur- 
chases about 300 per cent more from the markets of Great Britain than 
she does from the United States." 

While the want of rapid steam communication is the principal 
important apparent cause of this state of our commerce with South 
America, and particularly with Brazil, there are other real causes 
and obstacles, more difficult to overcome. 

1st. While all the South American countries look to Europe as 
their father-land with a far greater dependence than the people of the 
United States feel, it is natural that England, the traditional protector 
of Portugal, the banker (alas !) and upholder of Spain, and the 
money-lender to the Portuguese, and (alas, again !) to the Hispano- 
American peoples, should have the lion's share of trade, especially 



596 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

when, with some of the governments there were formerly differential 
treaties in favor of British goods. These lands all thus became famil- 
iar with the fabrics of Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, &c. T 
although the treaties referred to have long since passed away. 

2nd. But a most important factor in the present condition of the Brit- 
ish commerce in South America, as compared with that of the United 
States, is to be found in the solid character of the English merchant, 
as well as his trade. English houses are established to last. Capital, 
honor, and perseverance back them. There is but one American house 
(that of Henry Forster & Co., of Pernambuco), in all Brazil, which has 
existed for more than fifty } 7 ears. There are not three American firms 
that have continued without failure of some kind for twenty years. 
There are two-score British houses in different parts of Brazil that can 
go back more than three-score }~ears — indeed, almost to the time when 
the ports were thrown open, in 1808. The British merchant does not 
expect to found a permanent trade b} T sending out a commercial trav- 
eller, who "has been awful clever" at selling goods at home, where 
nothing but English is spoken, and who from his childhood has known 
the wants of the people. But he sends to Brazil a man who is capa- 
ble at home, who knows at least the French language, and will soon 
acquire the Portuguese — a man who knows that his opportunhy for 
promotion and his chance to become a junior partner, depend upon 
his conduct, perseverance and energy. He studies the wants of the 
people, and notes the difference of taste. He has a mark or brand. 
His ambition is to make that trade-mark known to the people. If he 
sells by sample, the goods are equal to the sample. And so on to the 
end. 

Now, unfortunately, the efforts of many Americans in Brazil have 
been sporadic and scattering. The}* have not studied the countrj' or 
its wants. Too often they have gone out without capital on ventures, 
and have had neither a well conceived plan, nor perseverance. In 
this connection, I refer the reader to Consul-General Adamson's ex- 
cellent instructions in Appendix F. 

In the same Appendix will be found extracts from a letter pub- 
lished by an unknown correspondent during the past year in the 
" New York Evening Post." In it there is food for reflection for all 
who contemplate going to Brazil to found commercial enterprises. 
And I cannot refrain from quoting here what Mr. Auchincloss so 



Trade-Mark Treaty. 697 

justly concludes in regard to the facts and statistics of South Ameri- 
can trade : — 

"We need to realize these facts and act accordingly. By act, I mean that our 
leading men of the United States should go to those countries in person, and make 
the acquaintance of the South American merchants, learn their present wants, an- 
ticipate their future ones, sound the temper of the people, and, having 'returned 
home, send them the very best our country can produce. Believe me ! these peo- 
ple will have the best, or none at all. Already there has been too much of the 
> wooden nutmeg ' system about American intercourse with the South, and a por- 
tion of the strong prejudice in favor of English goods can be traced directly to 
this fact. Many may object that personal visitation would involve too much 
time. In response, I would only say that if you value the trade at all, do not pay 
those gentlemen the equivocal compliment of sending a subordinate to represent 

you." 

A third cause which has stood in the way of American commerce 
in Brazil has been the counterfeiting of American trade-marks by un- 
scrupulous foreigners (as referred to on pages 196 and 501). But 
the trade-mark treaty or convention recently effected by the United 
States minister plenipotentiary, the Hon. Mr. Hilliard, will, it is to 
be hoped, do away with this hindrance to American manufactures. 
A recent letter from Rio de Janeiro to New York sa}'S : " The moral 
and material advantages secured by this convention will be of inesti- 
mable service in our commercial relations with Brazil, and through it 
I shall hope to see, in good time, a great part of the fraudulently 
called ' American goods ' driven out of this market." 

American trade with Brazil can only be placed on a firm basis by 
the means hinted at, viz. swift communication with that countiy ; by 
men who are not adventurers, but who carry morality and sobriety 
into their business and every- da}' life ; and by men who study up the 
wants and tastes of Brazil, and to a certain extent identify them 
selves with the land wherein they transact business. Some Ameri- 
cans have succeeded in Brazil, but it has only been by the same steady 
industry, economy, perseverance and honorable dealing, which would 
have given them success at home. 



CONCLUSION. 

The authors, in reviewing the ground which they have gone 

over in this volume, only feel the imperfection of their labors and 

how difficult has been the task to give in so small space a just and 

general view of Brazil. They have compared the Empire not with 

England and the United States, hut with other countries of t he 

New World which have been peopled by descendants o^ the .Latin 

race. This they believe to be the true mode of comparison. .Many 

errors may thus be avoided. A tew years ago their attention was 

called to an editorial in one of the most widely-circulated and 

influential papers of our country, in which occurs the following 

sentence : — 

" To those who wish to know how deep human nature can sink in moral degrada- 
tion and the extreme limit of monarchical imbecility, we recommend a reading of 
Ewbunk's 'Brazil,' whose details of hopeless superstition, general ignorance, and 
political demoralization have no parallel." 

We have already shown our appreciation of the author referred 
to by direct quotations from his work; and had he who penned 
this editorial remembered that Mr. Ewbank (more than 20 years 
ago) was a stranger abiding for a few months in a new and curious 
country, and published a journal of observations and events which 
he jotted down from the impressions of the moment, and makes 
but tew generalizations, he (the editor) would not have been so 
sweeping in his condemnation of Brazil. He seems, however, to 
have entirely overlooked one of Mr. Ewbank's few general con- 
clusions. Had he read it he would doubtless have been convinced 
that there was something hopeful in Brazil. As the opinions of 
the author in question have been often quoted to us as entirely 
at variance with any encouragement in regard to the Empire 
ruled by Dom Pedro II., we cite from his last chapter the follow- 
ing, which is to the point : — 

"The character of the Brazilians, I should say, is that of an hospitable, affec- 
tionate, intelligent, and aspiring people. They are in advance of their Portuguese 
598 



Conclusion. 599 

progenitors in liberality of sentiment and in enterprise. Many of their young men 
visit Europe, others are educated in the United States: add to this an increasing 
intercourse with foreigners. — the means ordained by Divine Providence fur human 
improvement, — and who does not rejoice in their honorable ambition and in the 
career opened before them ? It must be remembered, however, that no one people 
can be a standard for any other, for no two are in the same circumstances and con- 
ditions. The influence of climate, we know, is omnipotent; and, from their occupy- 
ing one of the largest and finest portions of the equatorial regions, it is for them to 
determine how far science and the arts within the tropics can compete with their 
progress in the temperate zones. As respects progress, they are, of Latin nations, 
next to the French. In the Chambers are able and enlightened statesmen; and the 
representatives of '.he Empire abroad are conceded to rank in talent with the ambas- 
sadors of any other country. As for material elements of greatness, no people under 
the sun are more highly favored, and none have a higher destiny opened before them. 
May they have the wisdom to achieve it!" — Eujbank , s Sketches of Life in Brazil. 

It is impossible to appreciate the present condition of Brazil 
without taking into view the influences of the mother-country. 
Notwithstanding the wealth and glory of Portugal during the 
short period of her maritime supremacy, there are few countries 
in Europe less fitted to become the model of a prosperous state in 
modern times. In whatever light we consider Portugal or her in- 
stitutions, we find them altogether behind the spirit of the age. 
Yet that country, as iusigniricent in size as it is indifferent in con- 
dition, held nearly half of South America under the iron sway of 
colonial bondage from the period of its discovery until 1808, — we 
might almost say 1822. 

The short space of fifty six years is all that Brazil has yet 
enjoyed for the great object of establishing her character as an 
independent nation. During that period she has had to contend 
with great and almost numberless difficulties. A large proportion 
of the inhabitants were persons born or educated in Portugal, and 
consequently imbued with the narrow views and the illiberal feel- 
ings so common to the Portuguese. The laws, the modes of doing 
business as well as of thinking and of acting, that universally pre- 
vailed, were Portuguese. All these required decided renovation in 
order to suit the circumstances of a new empire rising into being 
during the progress of the nineteenth century. 

Such a renovation is not the work of a day; and if it should 
appear that as yet it has only properly commenced, still, the Bra- 
zilian nation will stand before the world as deserving the highest 
credit. She has broken off bonds that had remained riveted upon 



600 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

her for ages. She has advanced from a degrading colonial servi- 
tude to a high and honorable position among the nations of the 
earth. What is perhaps still better, she cherishes a desire for 
improvement. She directs a vigilant eye toward other nations; 
she observes the working of their different institutions, and mani- 
fests a disposition to adopt those which are truly excellent, as inl- 
and as fast as they can be adapted to her circumstances. Her 
finances are in a very good condition. But she should be ready 
to accept and to court a greater reciprocity among the nations 
of the earth, and should abandon all narrow policy. At present 
the revenues of the Empire are almost entirely the product of 
heavy duties upon commerce. Unfortunately, the nation has but 
few manufactures to call for her high tariff as a means of protec- 
tion. Her duties upon imports constitute a direct tax upon inter- 
nal consumption; while the duties upon exports embarrass her 
trade abroad. Thus, agriculture is doubly oppressed, and it is 
under the burden of great difficulties that the immense resources 
of the country are to a comparatively small degree developed. 

Were there no other means of providing for the expenses of 
government, it would, perhaps, be idle to dwell upon this ruinous 
process, unless it were to comment upon it as a necessary evil. 
But is there no possibility of raising a revenue for Brazil from the 
sale of public lands? Millions upon millions of acres remain as 
yet unappropriated, notwithstanding the utter carelessness with 
which the richest and most valuable portions of the public domain 
have hitherto been yielded to the ownership of whomsoever might 
incline to take possession of it. Might not Government surveys be 
instituted, and the whole country brought under legal demarca- 
tion ? Hitherto, not one-fiftieth part of it was ever surveyed ; 
and even in some populous districts great uncertainty respecting 
boundaries still exists. It is understood that a reform in this 
direction has been begun. But what advantages could result 
from these surveys, unless spontaneous foreign immigration were 
encouraged and " red tapeism " completely abolished. 

Great things have been done in this respect, but more still re- 
mains to be accomplished. But the colonial system has not proved 
the success which its friends had hoped. The popular mind is 
waking up to the true mode. Intelligent emigrants are needed 



Conclusion. 601 

Open wide the doors, let the Government throw off all restriction 
of passports and every tax upon the emigrant, and the great and 
small proprietors will not have to resort to expensive means to 
induce immigration : it will flow of itself. 

Education is daily exciting increased attention. In the new 
system of school-instruction, the French model has been generally 
followed. Having already described institutions of the various 
grades, — from the primary school to the law-university, — it will 
now be sufficient to remark that a great degree of improvement 
upon the former state of things is already manifest; but at the 
same time the work of educational reform has only commenced. 
The teachers' salaries are too low; the interest among the com- 
mon people requires to be more fully excited ; and a very serious 
obstacle is to be overcome in the want of suitable school-books. 

It is sad to often find hinderances to the cause of education in 
the very men who ought to be leaders in the movement for the 
intellectual as well as the moral training of the young. A single 
instance and a general remark will illustrate what we mean. 

A priest residing in one of the most prominent cities of the 
Empire, and, indeed, exercising his functions beneath the very 
shadow of one of the universities, was heard to say, "Ndo gosto de 
livros; gosto mats de jogar," (" I have no relish for books; I like 
gaming better.") In corroboration of these remarks is the lan- 
guage of a distinguished Brazilian statesman, uttered before the 
Imperial Legislature only a few years ago : — 

"A narrow strip on the coast is all that enjoys the benefits of civilization; while, 
in the interior, our people are still, to a great degree, enveloped in barbarism." 
In immediate connection with this remark, the same gentleman added, "We have 
been unable to do any thing, and nothing can be accomplished without the aid of a 
moral and intelligent clerg}\" 

Notwithstanding the picture sketched in these brief but just intima- 
tions, there is much room to hope for Brazil on the score of education. 
The schoolmaster is abroad in the Empire : the press is at work ; 
but the number of scholars has not proportionately increased as we 
should have wished. Let slavery be fully done away, and Brazil will 
witness a vast improvement. 

The history of Brazilian literature is brief; }*et, under the circum- 
stances in which it has sprung up, that literature must be considered 
creditable. Of all that has been written in the Portuguese language 



(J02 Brazil and the Brazilians, 

within the last hundred years, Brazil has produced her full proportion 
of what is meritorious. The volumes of the Canon Pinheiro (Rio do 
Janeiro) on Portuguese literature, and of Wolf (Berlin) on Brazilian 
literature, sufficiently attest this. Portugal has uever produced a 
scientific man superior to .Jose Bonifacio de Andrada: indeed, Cor 
years she borrowed (his distinguished Brazilian to adorn her univer- 
sity of Coimbra and her medical schools of Lisbon. The only reeeii! 

Portuguese prose writer who excels those of Brazil wns the late Alex- 
ander Herculano of Lisbon. He was the modern master in historic 
writing, and, though differing from them both, may be compared to 
Lord Macau lay or Mr. Prescott. As a prose writer, the late Torres 

lloinein, a Brazilian statesman tinged with as much African blood as 
coursed in the veins of Alexander Dumas, was by the admission of liter- 
ary men at Rio their first prose writer. Sr. Octaviano may be classed 

very bigh as a writer <>!' elegant prose. Perhaps the most, popular 
native writer of fiction was the laic Si-. Alencar, author of the Guarany. 
Alencar had the good baste and foresight to take up a native subject. 

In historic writings, while there have been man} 7 essays, the Largest 

works are those of the late Visconde de Porto Seguro (Varnhagen) 
and Pereira da Silva. The former amassed a vast amount of materia] 

for future writers of history, while the latter is now publishing what, 

he purposes to be an exhaustive history of the empire. The Quar- 
terly Review of the Imperial Geographical and Historical Institute 
for forty years has been enriched by well-written articles and essays 
in history and geography. In political writing the Brazilian press 
has abounded. Formerly their political theories were greatly influenced 
by French writers, but at the present time no foreigner so influences 
the minds of the younger and middle-aged Brazilian statesmen as John 
Stuart Mill. The key-note and, indeed, the burden of Sr. Zacarias' 
Podvr Mbderador is John Stuart, Mill on Liberty. In the law universi- 
ties of San Paulo and lVrnambuco are many able professors and 
writers on law; while the medical colleges of Rio de Janeiro and 
Labia have writers equally eminent in their department. There are 
Wanting lay discussions on religious subjects ; but we are glad to see 
that the Novo Mundo takes the highest rank in religious and moral 

writing. It- is, however, in poetry that, at the present time, Brazil 
excels the mother-country. The names ol' Magalhaens and Gon- 



Conclusion. 603 

calves Dias, in poetry, stand deservedly high. Goncalves Dias is 
supreme in Lyric poetry. His sad and tragic end on board a wrecked 
ship in sight of his native land caused the profoundest emotion 
throughout Brazil. Azevedo, Junqueira Freire, Castro Alves, and 
Varella were poets of great merit. Within the last few years the 
example of Dom Pedro IT. has influenced the young men to the study 
of the English and American poets. Excellent translations of the 
poetiy of Longfellow and Whittier have, among others, been made 
by the Emperor, Baron Japura, Pedro Luiz, and Bittencourt 8. Paio. 
Porto Alegre, Macedo, Norberto, and Assis arc well known littera- 
teurs at Rio de Janeiro. 

It may perhaps be considered by some as a misfortune, in a lite- 
rary point of view, to Brazil, that her language is the Portuguese. 
— -A prejudice against that language prevails extensively among 
foreign nations; and, although that prejudice is in a great degree 
unjust, it will not soon be overcome. The learned have seldom 
been induced to acquire that knowledge of the language which is 
essential to an appreciation of its real merits. Those who have 
formed its acquaintance accord to it high praises. Mr. Southey, 
for example, has declared it to be " inferior to no modern speech," 
and to contain " some of the most original and admirable works 
that he had ever perused." Schlegel, in his "History of Litera- 
ture," bears the very highest testimony to the beauty and copious- 
ness of the Portuguese language, and cannot restrain his admira- 
tion for De Camoes. Of the Lusiad a distinguished French writer 
has said, "It is the first epic of modern times." (It must be remem- 
bered that the Latin nations have never been able to comprehend 
Milton.) M. de Sismondi says, "The distinguished men whom 
Portugal has produced have given to their country every branch 
of literature." And again: — "Portuguese literature is complete : 
we find in it every department of letters." {De la Litteraturc du 
Midi de V Europe, t. iv. p. 262.) "The Portuguese language," 
says M. Sane, " is beautiful, sonorous, and copious : it is free 
from that gutturalness with which we reproach the Spanish : it 
has the sweetness and flexibility of the Italian and the gravity 
and descriptiveness of the Latin." (Poesie Lyrique Portuguaise, 
p. xc. Paris, 1808.) In fine, it may be remarked that no living 



604 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

language — not excepting the Spanish and Italian — is so near in 
every respect the tongue of old Imperial Rome as that of Lusi- 
tania. If the Brazilians, possessing such a language, shall develop 
the genius and the application necessary to such a result, they 
may yet, by creating a literature worthy of themselves, secure 
the respect and admiration of the world. 

Notwithstanding so little is known of the Portuguese language 
to certain classes of the literati, it prevails wherever there are or 
have been settlements of that nation, — not only in Brazil and the 
Portuguese Islands, but along the coasts of Africa and India, from 
Guinea to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Cape of Good 
Hope to the Sea of China, — extending over almost all the islands 
of the Malayan Archipelago. 

How interesting it would be to witness light and truth radiating 
from Brazil and spreading their influences to each of those distant 
climes ! Before such an event can be reasonably anticipated, how 
great must be the changes in the moral and religious condition 
of the Empire ! 

The ecclesiastics are notoriously corrupt. The report of a Minis- 
ter of Justice not many years ago contains the following language : — 

"The state of retrogression into which our clergy are falling is notorious. The 
necessity of adopting measures to remedy such an evil is also evident. . . . The 
lack of priests who will dedicate themselves to the cure of souls, or who will even 
offer themselves as candidates, is surprising. ... It may be observed that the 
numerical ratio of those priests who die or become incompetent through age and 
infirmity is two to one of those who receive ordination. Even among those who 
are ordained, few devote themselves to the pastoral work. They either turn their 
attention to secular pursuits, as a means of securing greater conveniences, emolu- 
ments, and respect, or they look out for chaplaincies and other situations, which 
offer equal or superior inducements, without subjecting them to the literary tests, 
the trouble and the expense, necessary to secure an ecclesiastical benefice. 

"This is not the place to investigate the causes of such a state of things; but 
certain it is that no persons of standing devote their sons to the priesthood. Most 
of those who seek the sacred office are indigent persons, who, by their poverty, are 
often prevented from pursuing the requisite studies. Without doubt, a principal 
reason why so few devote themselves to ecclesiastical pursuits is to be found in the 
small income allowed them. Moreover, the perquisites established as the remunera- 
tion of certain clerical services have resumed the voluntary character which they 
had in primitive times, and the priest who attempts to coerce his parishioners into 
the payment of them almost always renders himself odious, and gets little or 
nothing for his trouble." 

At the present time Brazil is in want of nothing so much as 
pious, self-denying ministers of the gospel, — men who, like the 



Conclusion. 605 

Apostle to the Gentiles, will not count their lives dear unto them- 
selves that they may win souls to Christ. And is it too much to hope 
that God in His providence will raise up such men in His own wa} r , 
especially when we reflect that His own Word shall not return unto 
Him void, and that faithful prayer shall never be forgotten before the 
throne of the Most High. 

We might have unfolded before the reader many more incidents of 
labor in our Master's cause in Brazil, but have, from proper motives, 
withheld details : we believe, from the success of the Presb3 T terian 
missions, that we have every encouragement to hope for Brazil in a 
religious as well as a political point of view. 

Several things are of instant importance to the present and future 
welfare of Brazil. First, immediate legislation to amend the emanci- 
pation act, so that, by judicious measures, slavery in the empire shall 
sooner come to an end. The apprentice system should command the 
urgent attention of the Parliament, so that the scenes of 1878 in the 
Island of Santa Cruz ma} T not be enacted on a larger scale. But as 
we have treated this subject in another portion of this work, we will 
not enlarge upon it here. 

Second, suitable legislation should be immediately had in regard to 
religious disabilities. The Cabinet of 1878 uttered a note of reform 
in this respect. The 5th article of the constitution exacts that the 
Deputies elected to the Parliament must take an oath to maintain the 
Roman Catholic faith ; or, to put it in the language of the Anglo- 
Brazilian Times (whose editor belongs to the Communion of Rome) , 
"Brazilian legislation disables any but Roman Catholics from becom- 
ing Deputies, and, constructively, from becoming electors." Again, 
Protestants have suffered practically from a great disability in regard 
to marriages between themselves, and where there are mixed mar- 
riages. Now the Cabinet referred to has put forth a programme 
which has in view the abrogation of the oaths to the Deputies to 
maintain the Roman Catholic religion ; and to see that marriage shall 
be feasible, practicable, and valid, between Protestants per se and 
between Protestants and Roman Catholics. In the latter case, of 
mixed marriages, Dr. Furquim d' Almeida very justly says : " The law 
of September, 1861, regulates nothing ; consequently they continue 
to be performed according to previous legislation ; " and ' ' mixed 
marriages are not permitted unless the Protestant marrying a Roman- 



606 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ist binds himself by oath to rear and educate his children in the [Ro- 
man] Catholic Religion." It was in January, 1866, that this eloquent 
and forcible address referred to above was delivered in public meeting" 
at the Rio Exchange, by Dr. Furquim d'Almeida, whose breadth of view 
and practical political economy give to him something of the charac- 
ter of the English Cobden, and of that American friend of Brazil, 
A. A. Low, Esq., formerly the President of the New York Chamber 
of Commerce. No country can ever reach a high development, moral, 
material, and intellectual, unless soul-liberty in its fullest extent be 
incorporated in the political theory and practice of its people. The 
speech of Dr. Furquim d'Almeida will be found in Appendix G. 
Sr. J. C. Rodrigues, in the Novo Mundo of December, 1878, treats 
of this proposed reform in an editorial article, wherein he goes to 
the root of the matter. . 

Third, it is highly important in a material view that Brazil should 
remodel her laws in regard to the manner of raising her revenue. 
This subject is referred to on page 600. It was once hoped that the 
Paraguay war would end the border difficulties that periodically arose 
in the south-west, but that the necessity for increased revenue would 
cause timid financiers and those wedded to old Portuguese notions to 
combine with a few men of nineteenth-century notions to carry through 
a law for a direct and an equalized mode of taxation. These hopes 
were not verified. In a few cities there is, to a small degree, direct 
taxation of a narrow character, — levying upon the foreigner, and 
having no general application. There are some men in the province 
of Rio de Janeiro, outside of the neutral ground of the metropolis, 
who are capitalists and large land-owners. The junior author recalls 
one, who had no family besides his wife, and who informed him that 
he (the capitalist) owned eight square leagues of land, in addition to 
his personal property, which is immense, but that he did not have to 
pay a penny for taxes, either on his real or personal estate. Now, a 
common road-side shop-keeper without children, having an income of 
$2000 per annum, would have to pay to the general government just 
as many indirect taxes for the clothes that he wore and the wine that 
he drank (the principal imported articles that both used) as the man 
worth his hundreds of thousands. By lowering the import dues, by 
eradicating altogether the system of export duties, and by begin- 
ning with a moderate direct impost, agriculture and commerce will 
flourish. — 1868. A modified direct taxation has been inaugurated. 



Conclusion. 607 

Fourth, there should be no exclusiveness in regard to teachers and 
professors in the higher public institutions of learning. According 
to the present laws, if a gifted man of science, being a foreigner, 
should wish to remain in Brazil for six years to teach his particular 
branch in a public institution, he could not obtain a place ; it can be 
given to none but a native or naturalized Brazilian. We do not 
blame the Brazilians for cultivating a spirit of nationality, but we do 
find fault with anything that will foster a spirit of narrowness. M. 
Agassiz was for years professor in a university under the auspices of 
the Prussian government ; but Professor Agassiz did not lose his 
Swiss nationality by serving under the King of Prussia ; neither was 
he esteemed a less competent or a less faithful teacher because he 
was not a Prussian. When the same savant came to the United States, 
he remained some years before becoming naturalized, and he would 
have been held by the public in the same estimation even if he had 
not become an American citizen. There is scarcely a first-class in- 
stitution of learning in the United States without a foreign professor ; 
and it has worked greatly to the advancement of education. This 
spirit of exclusion in Brazil is to be found in other ranks of life where 
the calling is much more humble than that of teaching. 

Fifth, there are greatly needed Electoral reforms ; and reforms in 
regard to the system of military enlistments. As to the elections, it 
must be said that if they are conducted as that of the autumn of 1878, 
it will be well for Brazilian statesmen to begin again the rudiments 
of politics. France under the Napoleons never had anything like it. 
An independent Brazilian journal says: "A Committee at Rio de 
Janeiro dictated beforehand who should be the Deputies elected over 
the 3,500,000 square miles of our territory; and all icere elected!" 
Comment is unnecessary. The quicker such political machine-work 
is broken up the better. 

The National Guard has been dissolved, to undergo reorganization. 

Lastly, red tape demands the attention of the Assemblea Geral. 
Red tape, to an indefinite extent, exists in all the public offices out- 
side of the Imperial legislature. In that body there is a great freedom 
from red-tapeism. If a subject is rightly presented through the 
usual channels, it goes through the regular parliamentary forms, and 
is much less impeded than it would be in London or Washington. 
The wording of propositions, bills, and laws is singularly free from 



608 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

the almost endless legal tautology in the documents of a similar char- 
acter brought into the British Parliament or into the Congress of the 
United States. But many of the affairs in the public offices are 
subject to the greatest delays, from the highest to the lowest func- 
tionaries, and are nearly as much involved in red tape as they would 
be in Portugal and Spain, or as a ease of Chancery in an English 
court. There arc too many citizens, as well as officials, who con- 
stantly cry, Gocemo, Governo ; and, the government being 
expected to do every thing, no individual activity is developed. 
Here is great room for improvement. 

The reforms indicated are all very urgent ; but the first three are 
of such grave Importance to Brazil that the hearty prayer of every 
well-wisher ol' the country is thai the Brazilians may have wisdom 
to achieve them in such a manner as shall redound to her highest 
good. 

In finishing this volume, the authors admit thai, while they have 
awarded high praise to the Brazil-government, statesmen, and people, 
they have also spoken in this Conclusion with the frankness of friends, 
on the principle that " faithful are the wounds of a friend." They 
cherish a warm friendship for the Brazilian people, they take the 
deepest interest in the welfare of the Empire, and thej' have the 
highest hopes for the future of Brazil. They do not believe that 
the patriotism o\' the Andradas, Feijo, and others have been in vain; 
or that the blood and prayers of the Huguenots and of other good 
and true men have been forgotten before the Most High. 



NOTE S. 



No. 1. 

Americus Vespuoius fares worse at the bands of some Portuguese authors Mian Pinzon. The 
Padre Ayros do Casal, in l»i« Corographia BrasHlca, urges that the Florentine "never accompanied 
Qongalho Cooiiio or Christopher Jaques In their explorations <>r the const of Brazil." (Jon. J. I. d'Abreu 
Lima, in a noto (page. 8) to Imh Historia do Brazil, roundly asserts that Americus Vespuclus « i i « ■ 
not accompany the two navigators mentioned above, (todavia » que se pdde negar com. boas authoridades 
i que ellc accompanhasse, aos dots primeiros explorations Portugueses acima mentionados.) It Is trim, 
also, that Robertson throws doubt upon some of the dates of Americus Vespuclus, but more recent 
writers, of equal authority, give the account as stated iii the text. This hesitation on the part of some 
Portuguese and Spanish historians, in regard to Americus, Is doubtless Influenced by tiie sentiment, on 
one side, that the employment of the Florentine by the King D. Edanoel necessarily supposes an under* 
rating of tho Lusitanian navigators, — which does not follow, because the latter, in the expeditions 
referred to, appear to havo had the supreme command: on tho Hide of the Spaniards, they never 
could forgive AmerioUS for having supplanted, in tho New World, the name of Columbus, of whom they 
are as proud as if ho were a Castilian. 

No. 2. 

It is commonly supposed that tho wood yielding tho rod dye, Cmsalpinia Brazilletto, derived [ts 
common namo, Brazil-wood, from its being principally imported from, and produced in, Brazil. This, 
however, is not tho fact. It has been shown that Woods yielding a red dye wore called Brazil-woods 
long previously to tho discovory of America, and that the early voyagers gave the name Brazil to that 
part of tho continent, to which it is still applied, from their having ascertained that it abounded in 
such woods. — Bancroft's Philosophy of (Mors, \\. 816-821. 

No. 3. 

The Padre Ayros Casal, in his Corographia Brasilica, says that tho squadron " entered tho Bay of 
Santa Luzia, which namo was changed to that of Rio de Janeiro, because it was enterod on tho first 
day of tho year, 1632." Any examination of tho facts of tho caso as detailed by almost every other 
chronicler Mill not bear out tho statements of Padre Ay res Casal. 

No. 4. 

IMario de J'edro Loj>ez de Soma, page 14, in which ho explicitly says, " Sabbado 30 de Abril,no quarto 
d'alva, eramos com a bocca do Jtio de Janeiro." 

No. 5. 

The Madeira Christians wore compelled to floo for refugo to tho United States, in 1860; and In 1862 
most intolerant acts were sanctioned by tho Portuguese Government, in order to put an end to th* 
so-called Protestant heresy in that island. 



GOD 



DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR CORPS: AND ORDERS OF 
NOBILITY AND KNIGHTHOOD. 



Brazil has always been well represented in foreign lands, and her diplomatic 
and consular corps is not, like that of the United States, recruited from mere 
political partisans, but its members are fitted for their posts by education, dis- 
cipline, and graduation, in the same manner as the diplomatic ranks of England 
and France. 

Among them no one stands higher than the Visconde de Penedo, who repre- 
sented Brazil in the United States from 1852 to 1855, and is now Brazilian minister 
at the court of St. James. He has negotiated important loans in England for 
Brazil. The Visconde Itajuba is well known as one of the arbiters in the Alabama 
question. The Conselheiro Borges is the Brazilian Envoy Extraordinary and Min- 
ister Plenipotentiary to the United States. Magalhaes, the poet, has the useless 
task of representing Brazil at the Vatican. At Lisbon, the Baron of Japura — a 
graduate of the University of Edinburgh — represents Brazil in Portugal. 

Titles of nobility have been often used in the foregoing pages, and demand 
a further explanation. 

Nobility in Brazil is not hereditary, but bene merito, and has no landed interest or 
political influence. If a Brazilian has distinguished himself by his statesmanship, 
his valor, or his philanthropy, and he receives patent of nobility from the Em- 
peror, his son does not thereby become noble. The title is lost to the family at 
the death of its possessor. The titles of nobility are seven, — viz. Duke, Marques, 
Count, Visconde com grandeza, Baron com grandeza, Visconde, and Baron. There 
are five orders of knighthood. 



610 



Appendix A, 



CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS THAT HAVE 
TRANSPIRED IN THE HISTORY OF BRAZIL. 



A.D. 1500. The continent of South America 
discovered on the 26th of January, by- 
Vincent Yanez Pinzon, a companion of 
Columbus, and the first European who 
crossed the equator on his way to Amer- 
ica. 
" April 21, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, com- 
mander of the second Portuguese fleet 
that doubled the Cape of Good Hope, 
discovered that portion of the Brazilian 
coast now called Espirito Santo. 
" On May 3, he landed at Porto Seguro. 

1503. The Bay of All Saints discovered by 
Americus Vespucius. 

1510. Diogo Alvarez Correa (Caramuru) ship- 
wrecked at Bahia, (Bay of All Saints.) 

1530. The unexplored territory of Brazil di- 

vided into captaincies by the King of 
Portugal. 

1531. Martin Alfonso de Souza entered the Bay 

of Nitherohy, (Jiio de Janeiro,) previ- 
ously visited by De Solis and Majellan. 
On the 22d of January he discovered the 
harbor of San Vincente, and there 
founded the first European colony. 

1548. Numbers of Jews, having been stripped 

by the Inquisition of Portugal, were 
banished to Brazil. 

1549. Thom6 de Souza, the first governor-gen- 

eral, founded the city of San Salvador, 
(Bahia.) 

1552. The first bishop appointed, to reside at 
Bahia. 

1555. Villegagnon occupied the Bay of Rio de 
Janeiro with a colony of French Prot- 
estants, and built the fort which still 
bears his name, upon a small island in 
the harbor. 

1567. The French expelled by the Portuguese 
and Indians. 
" The city of St. Sebastian founded. 

1572. The government of the colony of Brazil 
divided between two captains-general, 
resident severally at S. Salvador and 
Rio de Janeiro. Hence the name Bra- 
zils. 

1576. The government again reduced to the ju- 
risprudence of one captain-general, re- 
siding at Bahia. 

1580. Brazil, in connection with Portugal, 
brought under the dominion of Spain. 

1591. Thomas Cavendish, the English adven- 
turer, sacked and burned S. Vincente. 



1637. 



1640. 



1646. 



1593. James Lancaster, commanding a maraud- 

ing expedition, fitted out of London, 
captured and plundered Pernambuco. 

1594. The French established a colony at Ma- 

ranham. 
1615. The French expelled from Maranham. 
" The city of Belem ( Pari) founded by Fran- 
cisco Caldeira. 
1624. The Dutch invaded Bahia. 
1630. Second invasion of the Dutch, in which 
they took possession of the whole coast 
of Brazil, from the river of S. Francisco 
to Maranham. Pernambuco was the 
capital. 
" First printing-press imported by the 
Dutch. 
Expedition of Pedro Teixeira, from Para 

to Quito, by way of the river Amazon. 
Portugal and her colonies freed from the 

Spanish yoke. 
The Dutch defeated in the battle of the 
Guararap£s, near Pernambuco; and in 
1654. Finally expelled from Pernambuco. 
1661. Holland abandoned, by negotiation, all 

claim to Brazil. 
3675. The diocese of Bahia constituted an arch- 
bishopric. 
1693. Regular mining for gold commenced. 
1697. Settlements made in Minas-Geraes. 
■' Destruction of the famous Republic of 
the Palmares. » 

1710. Assault of the French upon Rio de Ja- 
neiro under Du Clerc. 

1711. Capture of that city by Du Guay Trouin, 

and ransom by its inhabitants. 
Northern limits of Brazil defined by the 

treaty of Utrecht. 
Discovery of the diamond-mines in Serro 
Frio. 
1758-80. Forcible and complete expulsion of the 

Jesuits from Brazil. 
1763. Transfer of the capital from Bahia to Rio. 
1805. Rev. Henry Martyn visited Bahia. 
1808. Arrival of the royal family of Portugal. 
" Publication of the Carta Regia. 
" Establishment at Rio of the first Portu- 
guese printing-press in Brazil. 
1811. Second printing-press established at 
Bahia. 

Remark. — These two were the only Por- 
tuguese presses in use up to 1821. 
1815. Brazil elevated to the rank of a Kingdom. 
1817. Revolt in Pernambuco. 

611 



1713. 



1729. 



612 



Appendix A. 



1818. 
1821. 



1822. 



1823. 



1825. 



1826. 



1831. 
1832. 
1834. 

1835. 

a 

1837. 

<< 
1838. 

1839. 
1840. 



1841. 
1843. 
1844. 



1845. 
1846. 



1847. 
1849. 



Acclamation and Coronation of D. John 
VI. 

The Constitution of the Cortes of Portu- 
gal proclaimed and adopted at Rio. 

24th April, D. John VI. returned to Por- 
tugal, leaving his son, Dom Pedro, as 
Regent of Brazil. 

7th September, Declaration of Indepen- 
dence. 

12th October, Acclamation of D. Pedro as 
Emperor. 

1st December, Coronation of D. Pedro I. 

" " Session of the Assembly 

convoked to draft a Constitution. 

Montevideo united to Brazil, under the 
title of the Cisplatine Province. 

The new Constitution offered to the Bra- 
zilians by the Emperor. 

March 25. — Sworn to, throughout the 
Empire. 

Revolt in Pernambuco. Confederation of 
the Equator proclaimed and suppressed. 

Independence of Brazil recognized by 
Portugal, August 29. 

Birth of the Imperial Prince D. Pedro 
II., December 2. 

On the death of King Dom John VI., the 
Emperor of Brazil, heir-presumptive to 
the Crown of Portugal, abdicated that 
crown to his eldest daughter, D. Maria 
II. 

Final separation of Montevideo from Bra- 
zil, that province becoming the Cispla- 
tine Republic. 

Abdication of D. Pedro I., and Acclama- 
tion of D. Pedro II. 

"War of the Panellas for the Restoration 
of the first Emperor. 

Reform of the Constitution, creating Pro- 
vincial Assemblies. 

Revolution broke out in Para, January 7. 

Diogo Antonio Feijo elected Regent. 

Feijo renounced the Regency, September 
19. 

Pedro Araujo Lima appointed Regent pro 
tempore. » 

Revolt in the city of Bahia, November 7. 

Restoration of Bahia, March 15. 

Death of Jos6 Bonifacio de Andrada. 

Lima elected to the Regency. 

First steam-voyage along the northern 
coast. 

Abolition of the Regency and Accession 
of Dom Pedro II. to the full exercise of 
his prerogative as Emperor. 

The Emperor's Coronation, July 18. 

Imperial marriages. 

The treaty between Brazil and England, 
signed in 1827, expired by limitation, 
November 11. 

Birth of the Imperial Prince D. Alfonso. 

Birth of Donna Isabella, (heiress-appar- 
ent.) 

June 11, Death of D. Affonso. 

July 13, Birth of Donna Leopoldina. 

December, First appearance of yellow 
fever. 



1850. Suppression of the slave-trade. First 
steamship-line to Europe. 

1852. Overthrow of the Buenos Ayrean Dicta- 

tor Rosas by the aid of the Brazilian 
arms. 
" Ground broken for the first railway. 

1853. The first locomotive on the Maua Rail- 

way, and steamers on the Amazon. 

1854. Rio de Janeiro lit by gas. 

1855. Surveys for various railways. 

1857. The first section of the Pedro II. R. R» 

opened. 
1858-59. First section of Pernambuco Railway 

opened. Bahia Railway do. 

1864. Marriage of the two princesses. 

1865. War with Paraguay. 

1866. Opening of S. Paulo Railroad. 

1866. March 19, First son born to D. Leopoldina. 

1867. September 2, Opening of Amazon and 

Coast-trade to the world. 

1868. February 3, Passage of Humayta, (Para- 

guay.) 

1869. January 1, Brazilian troops occupy Asun- 
' cion. 

" March 22, Count d'Eu, Commander-in- 
Chief. 

1870. March 1, End of Paraguayan war. 

1871. February 7, D. Leopoldina died at 

Vienna, leaving four sons. 
" May 25, Emperor and Empress embarked 

for Europe, leaving Imperial Princess 

as Regent. 
" September 28, Emancipation act passed 

and signed by the Princess Regent. 

1872. April. Emperor and Empress returned 

from Europe. 
" The "Religious question" begun by the 
measures of Bishop of Rio against the 
masonic fraternity in 1871, was in 1872 
and 1873 brought to a crisis by the 
Bishops of ParA and Pernambuco, who 
placed ecclesiastical law above civil 
law. 

1873. September. The Bishop of Pernambuco 

prosecuted by the government. 

" November 7, The Bishop of Para prose- 
cuted. 

" December 24, Submarine telegraphic com- 
munication with northern provinces. 
1S74. January 1, Law on metrical system in 
force. 

" February 21, The Supreme Tribunal of 
Justice condemns the Bishop of Per- 
nambuco to prison for four years with 
hard labor. 

" June 22, Telegraphic communication with 
Europe. 

" July 1, Bishop of Para condemned to 
prison for four years with hard labor. 

" November 21, Riots in some of the north- 
ern provinces arising from the metric 
system. 
1875, June 25, Amnesty granted to Bishops of 
Pernambuco and Para. 

" October 15, Birth of son to the Imperial 
Princess. His official title the Prince of 
Gram Para. 



Appendix A. 



613 



1876. March 26, Emperor and Empress em- 

barked for the United States. 
" May 10, At the opening of Exposition at 

Philadelphia. 
" July 14, Sailed from New York to 

Europe. 

1877. September. The Emperor and Empress 

returned to Brazil 



1878. January. A second son born to the Prin- 
cess Imperial. 
" May 29, Arrival at Rio of the " City of 
R. de Janeiro " (the first of the new 
United States and Brazil mail steam- 
ships) from New York. 



IMPERIAL FAMILY. 



Emperor — Dom Pedro II. d'Alcantara, born December 2, 1825. Salary, $400,000. 

Empress — Donna Theresa Christina. Salary, $40,000. 

Imperial Princesses — Donna Isabella, heiress-apparent, born in 1846; Donna 
Leopoldina, born in 1847, died in February, 1871, leaving four sons. 

Donna Isabella married, October 16, 1864, the Count d'Eu, eldest son of the Duke de 
Nemours. 

Donna Leopoldina, the second princess, married the Prince Auguste de Saxe-Coburg, 
December, 1864. 

Emperor's Sisters — Donna Januaria, born 1822. Married to the Prince D. Luiz Conde 
d'Aquilla, 1843. Donna Francisca, born in 1824. Married to the Prince de Joinville, 1843. 



Appendix B, 



ABSTRACT OF THE BRAZILIAN CONSTITUTION, SWORN TO ON THE 
25TH OF MARCH, 1824, AND REVISED IN 1834. 

(1) Brazil is declared an Independent Empire, and its Government Monarchial, Constitutional, and 
Representative. (2) The Reigning Dynasty is to be Dom Pedro I. and his successors. (3) The Roman 
Catholic religion is constituted that of the State ; but the exercise of all others is permitted. (4) The 
unrestricted communication of thought, either by means of words, writings, or the agency of the 
press, exempt from censure, is guaranteed : with the condition that all who abuse this privilege shall 
become amenable to the law. (5) A guarantee founded on the principles of the English Habeas Corpus 
Act. (6) The privileges of citizenship are extended to all free natives of Brazil, to all Portuguese 
resident there from the time of the Independence, and to all naturalized strangers. (7) The law is 
declared equal to all ; all are liable to taxation in proportion to their possessions. (8) The highest offices 
of the State are all laid open to every citizen ; and all privileges, excepting those of office, abolished. 
(9) The political powers acknowledged by the Constitution are the Legislative, the Moderative, the 
Executive, and the Judicial ; all of which are acknowledged as delegations from the nation. (10) It is 
declared that the General Assembly shall consist of two chambers : the Chamber of Deputies are to hold 
their office for four years only ; the Senators are appointed for life. (11) The especial attributes of the 
Assembly are to administer the oaths to the Emperor, the Imperial Prince, the Regent, or the Regency ; 
to elect the Regent or Regency, and to fix the limits of his or their authority ; to acknowledge the 
Imperial Prince as successor to the throne, on the first meeting after his birth ; to nominate the 
guardian of the young Emperor in case such guardian has not been named in the parental testament ; 
to resolve all doubts relative to the succession on the death of the Emperor or vacancy of the throne ; 
to examine into the past administration, and to reform its abuses ; to elect a new dynasty in case of 
the extinction of the reigning family ; to pass laws, and also to interpret, suspend, and revoke them ; 
to guard the Constitution, and to promote the welfare of the nation ; to fix the public expenditure and 
taxes ; to appoint the marine and land forces annually upon the report of the Government ; to concede, 
or refuse, the entry of foreign forces within the Empire ; to authorize the Government to contract 
loans to establish means for the payment of the public debt ; to regulate the administration of national 
property and decree its alienation ; to create or suppress public offices, and to fix the stipend to be 
allotted to them ; and, lastly, to determine the weight, value, inscription, type, and denomination of 
the coinage. 

(12) During the term of their office, the members of both Houses are alike exempted from arrest, 
unless by the authority of their respective Chambers, or when seized in the commission of a capital 
offence. For the opinions uttered during the exercise of their functions, they are inviolable. (13) All 
measures for the levying of imposts and military enrolment, the choice of a new dynasty in case of 
the extinction of the existing one, the examination of the acts of the past administration, and the 
accusation of Ministers, and of Councillors of State, are required to have their origin with the House 
of Deputies. For the indemnification of its members, it is decided that a pecuniary remuneration shall 
be allotted to each during the period of the sessions. (14) The number of the Senators is fixed at one- 
half that of the Deputies, and the members are required to be upwards of forty years of age, and to 
be in actual possession of an income amounting to at least eight hundred milreis per annum. (15) It 
is their exclusive attribute to take cognizance of the individual crimes committed by the members of 
the Imperial Family, Ministers, or Councillors of State, as well as of the crimes of Deputies during 
the period of the Legislature. Their annual stipend is fixed at fifty per cent, more than that of the 
Deputies. 

(16) The Members of both Chambers are to be chosen by Provincial Electors, who are themselves to 
be elected by universal suffrage, — in which only minors, monks, domestics, and individuals not in the 
receipt of one hundred milreis per annum, are excluded from voting. (17) The Senators are nominated 
by the Provincial Electors in triple lists, from which three candidates the Emperor selects one, who holds 
office for life. (19) Each Chamber is qualified with powers for the proposition, opposition, and approval 
of projects of law. In case, however, the House of Deputies should disapprc ve of the amendments oi 

614 



Appendix B. 615 

additions of the Senate, or vice versd, the dissenting Chamber shall have the privilege of requiring a 
temporary union of the two Houses, in order that the matter in dispute may be decided in General 
Assembly. 

(20) A veto is conceded to the Emperor ; but it is only suspensory in its nature. In case three suc- 
cessive Parliaments should present the same project for the Imperial sanction, it is declared that on the 
third presentation it shall, under all and any circumstances, be considered that the sanction had been 
conceded. (21) The ordinary annual sessions of the two Houses of Legislature are limited to the period 
of four months. 

(22) To each province of the Empire there is a legislative Assembly, for the purpose of discussion on 
its particular interests, and the promotion of projects of law accommodated to its localities and 
urgencies ; but these Assemblies are not invested with any power excepting that of proposing laws o f 
provincial interest. 

(23) The attributes of the moderative power (which is designated the key to the entire political organ- 
ization, and which is vested exclusively in the hands of the Emperor) are the nomination of Senators, 
according to the before-mentioned regulations; the convocation of the General Assembly whenever the 
good of the Empire shall require it; the sanction of the decrees or resolutions of the Assembly; the 
enforcement or suspension of the projects of the provincial Assemblies during the recess of the Cham- 
bers; the dissolution of the House of Deputies; the nomination of Ministers of State; the suspension 
of magistrates ; the diminution of the penalties imposed on criminals; and the concession of amnesties. 

(24) The titles acknowledged in the Constitution as appertaining to His Majesty are "Constitutional 
Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil." His person is declared inviolable and sacred, and he 
himself exempt from all responsibility. He is, moreover, designated as the chief of the executive 
power, which power is to be exercised through the medium of his Ministers. Its principal functions 
are the convocation of a new General Assembly in the third year of each legislature, the nomination 
of bishops, magistrates, military and naval commanders, ambassadors, and diplomatic and commercial 
agents ; the formation of all treaties of alliance, subsidy, and commerce ; the declaration of war and 
peace; the granting of patents of naturalization, and the exclusive power of conferring titles, military 
orders, and other honorary distinctions. All acts emanating from the executive power are to be signed 
by the Ministers of State, before being carried into execution ; and those Ministers are to be held 
responsible for all abuses of power, as well as for treason, falsehood, peculation, or attempts against 
the liberty of the subjects. (25) In addition to the Ministry, a Council of State is also appointed, the 
members of Avhich are to hold offices for life. They are to be heard concerning all matters of serious 
import, and principally on all subjects relating to war and peace, negotiations with foreign States, and 
the exercise of the moderative power. For all counsels wilfully tending to the prejudice of the State, 
they are to be held responsible. 

(26) The judicial power is declared independent, and is to consist of judges and juries for the adjudi- 
cation of both civil and criminal cases, according to the disposition of future codes for this effect. The 
juries are to decide upon the fact, and the judges to apply the law. Eor all abuses of power the 
judges, as well as the other officers of justice, are to be held responsible. It is within the attributes 
of the Emperor to suspend the judges in the exercise of their functions; but they are to be dismissed 
from office only by a sentence of the supreme courts of appeal instituted in all the provinces. 

(28) The presidents of the provinces are to be nominated by the Emperor ; but their privileges, qualifi- 
cations, and authority are to be regulated by the Assembly. 

(29) If, after the expiration of four years, it should be found that any articles of the Constitution 
required reform, it was decreed that the proposed amendment should originate with the House of Depn- 
ties ; and if, after discussion, the necessity of the reform was conceded, an act was to be passed and 
sanctioned by the Emperor in the usual manner, requiring the electors of the Deputies for the next 
Parliament to confer on their representatives especial powers regarding the proposed alteration or 
reform. On the assembling of the next House of Deputies, the matter in question was to be proposed 
and discussed, and, if passed, to be appended to the Constitution and solemnly promulgated. (The 
reforms were few, — the two principal being the regulation of succession in case of the death of D. 
Pedro II. without issue, his sister Donna Januaria, or her children, becoming heirs ; and changing the 
provincial councils to provincial Assemblies.) 

(30) Finally, civil and criminal codes are organized; the use of torture is abolished; the con- 
fiscation of property is prohibited ; the custom of declaring the children and relatives of criminals 
infamous is abrogated, and the rights of property and the public debt are guaranteed. 



Appendix C, 



POPULATION. 

The census of 1876 has not yet been published in detail, and, hence, the population of each 
Province is given from the tables of the " L'Enipire du Br6sil," compiled in 1875. 



Provinces and Capital of the Empire. 



*Amazonas 

Para 

Maranhao 

Piauhy 

*Oear;l 

*Rio Grande do Norte 

Parahyba 

*Pernambueo 

*AlagOas 

Sergipe 

Bahia 

*Espixito Santo 

Rio de Janeiro 

*S. Paulo 

♦Parana , 

*Santa Catharina 

S. Pedro do Rio Grande do Sul 

Minas Geraes 

*Goyaz 

Mato Grosso 

Indians 

Grand Total 



10,700,187 



Free 


Slave 


Population. 


Population. 


56,631 


979 


232,622 


27,199 


284.101 


74,930 


178.427 


23,795 


689,773 


31.913 


220.959 


13.020 


341,643 


20.914 


752.511 


S9,028 


•312,268 


35.741 


139,812 


21,495 


1,120,846 


162.295 


59,478 


22,(559 


692,883 


319,665 


080.742 


156.612 


116.162 


10,560 


144,818 


14.984 


364.002 


86,876 


1,612.41!) 


366,574 


149.743 


10.652 


53.750 


6.667 


8,223,620 


1,476.567 


1,000.000 




1.476.567 





N.B. The Provinces with an asterisk have the population given according to the census. 

On the 2d of August, 1876, the Minister of the Empire announced that the official census 
had been completed. The result is quite different from the above. No distinction seems to 
have been made between the Africans in slavery and those born after the Emancipation Act of 
September, 1871. According to this report, the total population is 10,108,478, of which 9,930,478 
are thus classified : — Free, 8,419,672; slave, 1,510,806. To make up the total population 
requires 277,813 persons, which I am left to infer are Indians. 
610 



Appendix D. 



YELLOW FEVER IN BRAZIL. 
By E. F. Hodges, M.D., Boston, Mass. 

[Dr. A. R. Egbert originally compiled an article on this subject for the first editions of " Brazil 

and the Brazilians," but the recent phases of that disease require a new paper, which has 

been prepared by my personal friend, Dr. E. F. Hodges, of Boston. — J. C. F.] 

Axv thing in the nature of a strictly medical treatise on the yellow fever in Brazil is out of 

place in a work of the present scope, while a brief sketch of the disease, with some observations 

on its origin and course gleaned from the experience of medical men of accepted attainments in 

that special field, will not only be of interest, but tend to render it more complete. 

The literature of yellow fever is voluminous enough, but unfortunately for the welfare of 
humanity the written word has been either record or warning, sad enough as a record, and 
often wise and prophetic as a warning, yet seldom competent in either capacity to enforce upon 
a fated community the necessity of an undeviating hygiene as well for the masses as for the 
individual. How forcibly the moral has been pointed our own stricken cities to-day bear 
testimony. In the past, similar experience has been too soon forgotten, until desolate homes 
and a decimated population recall it as reality, and not as merely a death-shadow. 

It would be a very natural supposition, in view of the tropical situation of Brazil, that the 
causes of disease prevalent in the same latitudes elsewhere would make it perilous to the lives 
of those unacclimatized. This is far from the case — in fact, its wholesomeness is notable, and 
when it is considered that it borders on the equator, the mildness and beauty of the climate 
are remarkable. Along the coast especially, a cool and never-failing breeze makes the heat at 
all times tolerable, even to the foreigner; and soon the prudent visitor finds himself comfort- 
able and well where anticipation pictured unmodified heat ami disease. Careless indulgence 
in novel articles of food, as well as intemperance in other things, will produce anywhere in the 
tropics, danger to constitution and life ; but probably less disastrously in Brazil than in the 
same latitudes in other parts of the world. Again, the elevation of the country away from 
the coast compensates for its proximity to the equator. A region in the tropics need only be 
high to be temperate. Yellow fever then lacks, to a certain extent in Brazil, what is an 
apparent necessity to its existence, — the rankness of climate to be found where no moun- 
tain slopes afford a directing current toward the sea for the disease germs, or prevent accu- 
mulation in the soil of deadly material, which a summer's sun, near the equator, can 
readily ripen into an epidemic. 

Like all epidemics, the early records of yellow fever are vague and unreliable — in fact, it 
hides its origin in the misty past. These giant devastators have no chroniclers to note their 
birth and early history. Some physicians have thought that Hippocrates had this malady in 
view when he mentions the black vomit and yellowness of the skin as occurring in certain 
connections; forgetting that these symptoms may point to many other morbid conditions than 
such as distinguish this disease. It is indeed probable that the views of writers who think the 
affliction of no ancient time, but a production of modern date, are correct. There is even 
ground for the theory that the slave trade brought this in its train of horrors, for it certainly 
made its appearance hand in hand with this traffic, and many of our Southern physicians are 
convinced that it was imported with the blacks from Africa. The earliest writer we find 
alluding undoubtedly to this " frightful scourge of the Atlantic," is Pere Dutertre. He saw it 
in the Antilles, in 1635, and tells us expressly that before that date it was unknown in those 
islands. In 1647 it was in Barbadoes. Pere Labat found it raging in Martinique in 1649. Our 
own record of it in the United States goes back to its occurrence in Boston in the year 1693. 
Since then we have, unfortunately for us and for the wisdom and providence of our people, a 
history of epidemics. 

It first appeared in Brazil in December, 1849, or January, 1850, and committed its greatest 
ravages in 1850, in the maritime provinces. It was especially violent at Para. Bahia, and Rio 

617 



618 Appendix D. 

de Janeiro. Pernambuco escaped. Bad as it was, the accounts of its ravages were greatly 
exaggerated. In the whole Empire of Brazil, the population of which is more than seven 
millions, there were from this disease, in 1850, fourteen thousand deaths; and, according to the 
official reports, there were not quite four thousand deaths from yellow fever in the city of Kio 
de Janeiro, — whose population is three hundred thousand. Dr. Paula Candido and Dr. Mer- 
rilles, who stood deservedly high in the medical professions, corroborated this statement. Dr. 
Lallemant, an eminent German physician of the first professional ability at Kio, exaggerates, it 
seems to us, both the number of cases and deaths:, the former he places at one hundred thou- 
sand, and the latter at ten thousand, — which seems to be utterly at variance with the statement 
of all the reports from other and equally credible sources. But, even admitting Dr. Lallemant's 
figures, we can see how much less was the mortality than at New Orleans (a city of one-third, 
the population of Kio), where in the month of August, 1853, 52G9 perished from this fell disease. 
And yet it has been represented that the capital of Brazil is the most unhealthy place in the 
world! According to Dr. Lallemant, 475 died at Kio in 1851; 1943 in 1852; 853 in 1853; and 
only four in 1854. In 1857 a few scores of cases occurred, but we have not the exact number ai 
hand. 

In 1854 the disease had entirely disappeared, and has not since shown itself until in the be- 
ginning of 1857, and in the month of March of that year it ceased. 

There can be little doubt that yellow fever has a peculiar and specific cause, many and di- 
verse as opinions are as to its nature. It has, for instance, been deemed a living, organized 
microscopic being — or, again, as one form of ferment — and while each theory will lead us far 
without lacking for probability, it must be admitted that there is yet to be advanced a positive 
and definite explanation. Recent views, sustained by Drs. Bemiss, Choppin and Sherrick of 
New Orleans, hold that the germ theory best explains the phenomena of the pestilence; advanc- 
ing as practical points, that it is of foreign production and exotic in this country, recurring 
when once extirpated by the frost, only on introduction from abroad. Its contagiousness, too, 
is an unsettled point; but perhaps the most enlightened of medical observers have agreed 
that it is not to be propagated from person to person, but on the other hand from a locality to 
an individual. The ship, for instance, which is often the vehicle of contagion, or the garments 
of fever-stricken patients in the form of rags finding their way to commercial points on the 
coast may convey the malady to those in contact with them ; and, if the locality be favorable 
for its development, when once the principle of the disease is supplied, even start an epidemic. 
It is of great rarity that the attendants of yellow fever patients, themselves not exposed to 
other conditions favorable to its development than ministration to the sick, contract the dis- 
ease. In other words, neither the person of a patient nor even, as it seems to be demonstrated, 
his excreta, are competent to reproduce it. 

Yellow fever exhibits a great diversity of phenomena — the product of diverse influences at 
work, assuming a particular form according to the circumstances attending its appearance — 
as, for instance, scorbutic, typhous, or whatever the case may be. Nor is the malady consistent 
in its fatality, the immunity it affords to those native to the place attacked, rapidity of de- 
velopment or other developments from epidemic to epidemic, and this fact accounts for the be- 
lief careful observers, who have survived repeated outbreaks, are prone to form that its type has 
changed. As for instance, Dr. Nicholas J. Moreira, of Kio de Janeiro, of large experience in 
the disease and an excellent authority, is of the opinion " that it has degenerated into a bilious 
fever which belongs to warm countries, and which is complicated with an intermittent element 
often sharing a typhoid character, this last depending on the high temperature of the summer, 
and principally on the mephitic gases from sewers which are not built on true hygienic grounds, 
and which is aggravated in the case of unacclimatized persons who arrive from those countries 
where the climatic and alimentary influences and conditions are very different from Brazil." 
Mr. Thomas P. Bigg-Wither, in his extremely interesting " Pioneering in Brazil," writes of 
yellow fever from personal experience, and his notes are worthy of transcription. " The 
great mortality is always amongst the lowest class of the people, chiefly Portuguese and 
Italians, who are proverbially the most dirty in their habits. The English and the Germans, 
of all foreign populations, suffer the least: but this is probably due to their being generally of a 
better class than the first mentioned people, and therefore not subject to the same inducing 
causes of sickness. It may be useful here to give some account of the principal symptoms 
which give warning of the approach of an attack of this dreaded enemy. First comes a violent 
headache with intense throbbing pains in the back of the head; then follows a feeling of sick- 
ness often accompanied with aching limbs. Now, if not done before, is the time to take instant 
remedies; swallow a strong dose of castor-oil and go straight to bed, piling on blankets, rugs, 
coats, any thing that comes to hand, so as to produce free perspiration. If at once attainable 



Appendix D. 619 

a very hot bath should be taken before getting into bed, as very often perspiration will not com- 
mence without it. If these simple remedies have been resorted to in time (and all depends 
upon this), in a very few hours the threatened attack will have passed off and nothing but 
great weakness remain. It is always best, of course, to send at once for a doctor, but by no 
means wait for his arrival before taking the above measures. Delay is often absolutely fatal. 
The great thing is to take at once some efficient purgative, and also to get the pores of the skin 
thoroughly opened. A doctor could do no more than this, and an hour's delay makes all the 
difference." (Vol. I. pp. 39-40.) These are the observations of a non-medical man, but serve 
to indicate the course of treatment thought most beneficial by the resident authorities in 
Brazil, and are of interest, too, because the writer himself recovered from the malady. The 
best observers are agreed that heroic measures to abort the malady or to guard against it — 
such as low diet, purging, bleeding, mercurials — have all rather a tendency to invite the dis- 
ease by reducing the forces which would combat it. Weakening measures, physical and mental, 
have all power for evil. It is strange in all epidemics to see how frequently the one terrified 
for his own welfare, but otherwise of favorable constitution to resist contagion, is stricken down 
to die the death he has vividly portrayed, suffering fourfold in imagination the actual torments 
of the disease. Prevention is, of course, vastly more important th an treatment. Those who must 
remain in infected localities reduce their peril materially by selecting the healthiest and highest 
spots for their residence, remembering to sleep in the upper rooms and to avoid night air. 
Fatigue and exposure to varying temperatures, and, as already referred to, the excesses which 
foreigners commit in a country where a certain responsibility to the community, felt by everyone 
at home, is apt to be held in abeyance or replaced by license, should be avoided as most danger- 
ous. Let them copy the cleanly personal habits of the better class of natives: their free use of 
bathing, their abstinence from undue indulgence in their tropical fruits at unseasonable times, 
and from the dietary customs which strangers are wont to adhere to from home associations, 
to the wonderment of the Brazilian. Does the Englishman ever forget his brandy, port wine, 
or strong ale, or the American his everlasting frying-pan, in the face of yellow fever or cholera? 
If only they would copy the abstinence from stimulating diet which the native relies on for ' 
safety, using instead that which is simply wholesome and nutritious ! When threatened with 
the danger of infection from necessary exposure, let it not be after fasting, debilitating fatigue 
or perspiration. 

The Brazilians are recognizing that an abundant supply of flowing water, insuring freedom 
from stagnation and the generation of sewer gas, is a safeguard against the development of the 
specific cause. Bio de Janeiro is to bring its water supply fifty miles from the Bio d'Ouro and 
to distribute it lavishly, and is enforcing hygienic laws which justify hope of future immunity. 
Our own cities, too, are alive to this necessity. The Memphis editor expresses the universal 
sentiment, " We 've all been heroic ; now we 've had enough of heroism, let 's have drainage." 

The treatment of the malady adopted in this country is within ready reference, and this is 
not the place for a statement of it. The following is the plan adopted by the late Dr. Paula 
Candido, of Bio, who lost his life because of his unwearied night-watches and meteorological 
studies during a yellow fever season, in order that he might see if any thing, or the want of 
any thing, in the atmosphere, accompanied the prevalence of the yellow fever. His valuable 
investigations are little known in this country, although accepted as of worth in France and 
elsewhere. 

" The first step is to cleanse the digestive canal. Castor-oil, in a dose of two, four, or even 
six ounces, must be administered without delay, whatever be the state of the patient. If he 
obstinately rejects this remedy, employ citrate of magnesia or neutral salts in sufficient quan- 
tity to produce eight evacuations. This effect ought to be kept up the succeeding days, but 
with greater moderation. Neither foreign substances nor intestinal secretions ought to be 
allowed to remain : they become the centres of poisonous matter. The torpor of the intestines 
does not allow us to trust wholly to purgatives: it is necessary to administer injections, and I 
make use of the following mixture : — 

" I&. — Expressed juice of Persicaria, cut up and steeped in water... 2 lbs. 

Lemon-juice (skin and pulp cut and squeezed) 4 oz. 

Sulphate of Soda 4 " 

Socotrine Aloes 4 " 

Camphor, and Sulphate of Quinine, each 1 drachm. 

M.— Saturate with kitchen salt. 
Q. S. for two or three enemas. 



620 Appendix D. 

"If persicaria cannot be obtained, it may be replaced by the same quantity of infusion of 
chamomile, orange-leaves, or sea-water. 

" These injections must be given every two hours, as hot as possible: they are rejected imme- 
diately, but are usually followed by an abundant perspiration ; but the use must be continued. 

" Hot sinapisms at the soles of the feet, the knees, and the thighs, ought to be employed from 
the first, conjointly with the above remedies, and repeated until some abatement of fever 
ensues. 

"Friction all over the body, particularly on the abdomen, groin, armpits, arms, with the 
following : — 

" Bj. — Camphorated Vinegar. 1 lb. 

Sulphate of Quinine 2 drachms. 

Tincture of Quinine 2 oz. 

Creosote 1 drachm. 

M. 
"A drachm of creosote in half a pound of spirits of wine, to rub the abdomen, arms, and 
sides, is an excellent means of provoking perspiration and producing other effects. These 
frictions must be performed under the coverings of the bed, in order not to chill the patient, 
and must be continued for three or four hours. Besides their antiseptic action, they produce 
perspiration. 

" A weak infusion of borage, sweetened, every hour, very hot, each infusion prepared at the 
time of being taken ; or of hot gum- water. 

" If the perspiration cannot be effected in two or three hours, we must have recourse to the 
tincture of aconite napel, (monk's-hood,) one drachm of, in two pounds of water, to take by 
spoonfuls every quarter of an hour, without interrupting the other means. 

"Besides, in four hours after the evacuants have been administered, the use of interior 
chloride must commence : — 

" R. — Eau de Labarraque 2 drachms. 

Distilled water, slightly acidulated with Muriatic Acid J bottle. 

M.— 

"Take three spoonfuls of this mixture in half a cup of fresh water, or simply a spoonful of 
Eau de Labarraque in a glass of pure water, and take a spoonful of this solution every quarter 
or half hour. 

"Sugar must never be added to Eau de Labarraque. It must be saturated with chloride, 
which is easily known by the smell, and kept out of the light. 

" For very delicate persons the dose must be weaker. All these means must be continuous: 
they do not contradict each other. 

"At the end of twenty-four hours, the malady is generally subdued; but the medicaments 
must not cease, but the employment of them relaxed or the intervals augmented. 

"Relapses, and that deceitful calm that is so often noticed preceding death, take place from 
the abdominal secretions having been permitted to be reabsorbed. Therefore the medicaments 
must be continued. 

" I permit no broth, oranges, wine, or any thing else, until two days after the symptoms have 
disappeared, and when the pulse has lowered perhaps to forty. 

"I have often had recourse to sialagogues for the secretion of saliva : these are such sub- 
stances as ginger, cinnamon, liquorice-root, kept in the mouth. I advise amateurs to smoke 
cigars. 

" Tonics, especially the preparations of quinine, are very useful in small repeated doses when 
only weakness remains. 

"I ought to add, that if the terrible symptom of suppression of urine takes place, I give to 
the patient a drachm of nitrate of potash dissolved in a bottle of water, — half a cupful every 
half or quarter of an hour : injections of an ounce of camphorated vinegar in two cupfuls of 
tepid water ; frictions of the same vinegar or camphorated oil of almonds on the abdomen re- 
peated at short intervals. 

"I have no faith in bleeding, leeches, cupping, calomel, quinine internally, ammonia, lau- 
danum, opium, arsenic, turpentine, nitrate of silver, ice, hot or cold baths, &c." 

Dr. Moreira, also of Rio, and heretofore quoted, recommends the course briefly outlined be- 
low: — 

" 1st day. Infusion diaphoretic with acetate of ammonia. 

2d day. Castor-oil. 



Appendix D. 



621 



3d day. Sulphate of quinia in moderate doses, and from that time on seltzer water. In grave 
cases aqua inglesa, decoction of jiquitiba and veratrum album." 

The treatment of Dr. Paula Candido differs very materially from that pursued by the promi- 
nent physicians of the United States. It also differs from that pursued in the "West Indies. 
The reason of this is, I presume, owing to the different character of the disease in Brazil. The 
yellow fever first appeared in Brazil on the 28th of December, 1849, and remained in th? coun- 
try from that time until March, 1854: in December, '57, it reappeared in a milder form, and in 
April disappeared. 

The following is a schedule, from official records, of the number of deaths in the Empire and 
in the Capital, (where it was the most severe,) separately, during each year : — 



j Population. 


Deaths in 1S50. 


Deaths in 
1851. 


Deaths in 
1S52. 


Deaths in 
185-3. 


Deaths in 
1S54. 


Empire. 7,000,000 
Rio de Janeiro. < 300,000 


14,000 
3.827 


8719 

475 


9527 
1943 


8531 
853 


04 



This table shows that the disease was comparatively light, the percentage being small. 

The following is an extract from the " Report of the Minister of the Empire " for 1855. 

" The yellow fever, as an epidemic, may be considered nearly extinct in this city, (Rio.) This 
benefit is particularly owing to the very vigilant sanitary policy that has been established. 
The great number of ships from all parts of the world which frequent this port has ever been 
the great focus of infection for this and other epidemics. 

"Happily, this has been combated by the disinfecting measures that have been resorted to, 
and by the prompt succor that has been rendered to the afflicted crews, who, as soon as the 
epidemic shows itself, are conducted in the steamer (health-steamer) to the maritime hospital of 
Jurujuba, where they receive the most judicious and careful treatment. This hospital merits 
all praise. During the past year there entered 1627 patients, (not all yellow fever :) cured, 1576 ; 
died, 40. Therefore the mortality was less than 2\ per cent." 

The origin of this pestilence in Brazil is a mooted point, and has given rise to the most con- 
flicting views among the best observers: for example, Dr. Penned, of Rio, and Dr. Patterson, 
of Bahia, entertain precisely opposite opinions, — the former contending for the indigenous, 
the latter for the foreign, origin of the disease ; and both offer cogent arguments and striking 
facts in support of the opposite conclusions. 

The scope of this paper does not admit of medical discussion ; yet, as the facts observed by 
Dr. Penned are highly important, and, as his conclusions entirely coincide with those of Dr. 
Dundas, a short sketch of them wfll be given. 

They state that for some years the fevers of the country had been clearly changing their 
character, and the genuine remittent had been little seen for three years; that it was replaced 
in 1847, : 48, and '49, by a fever of its own class, popularly known as the " Polka fever," but in 
reality a remittent: and that this fever was, in its turn, superseded by the yellow fever, a dis- 
ease with similar features. 

Coincident with these and other changes in the diseases of Brazil, the climate in its broad 
features had altered strangely. Thunder-storms — formerly of daily occurrence at a certain 
hour, so that appointments for business or pleasure were made in reference to them as to taking 
place " before " or " after " the shower during the summer — are now but seldom heard. There 
was, too, at the commencement and during the continuance of the pestdence, a stagnation and 
want of elasticity in the atmosphere, from the cessation to a great degree of the fresh and regu- 
lar winds from the sea, — a change very perceptible and very oppressive. 

The supporters of the theory of the foreign origin of yellow fever insist that it was imported 
by a certain ship from Xew Orleans to Bahia (some say to Pernambuco), and thence diffused 
throughout the Empire. Some of them urge that it was imported from Africa by slave-ships, 
whilst the facts adduced by Dr. Penned go far to estabdsh, as already stated, its indigenous 
parentage. Dr. Dundas says that in support of this opinion we have the strong additional 
fact that for the last forty years there has existed, uncontroded by any efficient quarantine 
laws, an extensive intercourse with the United States, Africa, and the West Indies, — the very 
hotbeds of yellow fever, — and yet up to 1849, Brazil remained perfectly healthy. Can we then 
in reason believe, if the disease be deemed really importable, that the maritime cities of Brazil 
<"ould, under such circumstances, have escaped infection for a period of forty years? Though 
it is usual to say that no epidemic has visited Brazil, yet several of the older writers, as Rocha 



622 Appendix D. 

Piat, in 1666, Pere Labat, in 1686, and Fereira da Rosa, in 1694, have recorded the appearance 
of epidemics closely resembling the yellow fever, which, after persisting for some years, and 
desolating some of the large cities on the coast, finally passed away. 

Drs. Pennell and Dundas conclude, from the above and other facts, that the yellow fever, 
which recently afflicted Brazil, is not an imported disease, but owes its origin to certain obscure 
atmospheric disturbances, embracing variations of temperature, hygrometric influence, 
electrical tension, atmospheric pressure, &c; and, judging from the previous history of Brazil, 
we believe that these unfavorable conditions are but temporary; and we are rejoiced to be able 
to hope that the disease has nearly passed away, that Brazil will maintain its character of 
unparalleled salubrity among the tropical regions of the globe, and will deserve its title of " the 
Italy of the New World." 

The following statements will show the greater healthfulness of Brazil as compared with the 
United States. 

In 1847, in New Orleans, there were 2252 deaths from yellow fever. The population was 
about 90,000. 

In 1853, there were, from May 26 to October 22, 8406 deaths from the yellow fever. The 
population of the city was more than 100,000 ; but, owing to so many having fled, it was 
estimated that not more than 50,000 people were in the city during the prevalence of the 
epidemic. 

In 1854, there were nearly 14,000 cases of yellow fever in New Orleans ; from July 14 to Octo- 
ber 15, there were 2420 deaths from this cause. The population was about 102,000. 

In Mobile, during the year 1853, there were, from August 1 to September 16, 611 deaths from 
yellow fever. Population of the city, 12,500. 

In Natchez, in 1853, there were, from July 17 to September 20, 263 deaths from yellow fever. 
Population, 5000, of which only 2000 remained in the city. 

In Charleston, in 1854, there were from fifteen to twenty deaths daily during the height of 
the disease. Population, 29,000. 

In Galveston, in 1854, there were from fourteen to fifteen deaths daily. Population, 7000. 

In Savannah, during the year 1854, from August 25 to October 17, there were 919 deaths from 
yellow fever. Population, 11,000. Three-fourths of the population fled to the country ; the 
roads a few miles from the city were lined with the tents of the fugitives. 

In general, it has been found that from one-half to two-thirds of the population flee from 
the cities in the United States when any severe epidemic prevails ; and this must be borne in 
mind whilst reading the above data. 

In the terrible scourge at Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., in 1855, 45 per cent, of the whole 
population died from yellow fever. The city was nearly deserted, there being scarcely a suffi- 
cient number to take care of the sick. The duration of the disease was one hundred and 
twenty-seven days. 

Our own recent experience of yellow fever, in the United States, gives a like history of de- 
serted cities, with a larger ratio of deaths in those attacked. Its statistics have no place here. 
It is enough to say that it has been unprecedented in the fatality attending it ; that those 
theretofore exempted, the native and foreigner, the young and old, have been stricken, and that 
the statements above made of earlier epidemics are inadequate for the present. In brief, that 
it has cost this country some scores of thousand of lives, and treasure incalculable. 

Now compare these data with the table before mentioned, and we immediately see the com- 
parative immunity of Brazil from the yellow fever, even during its most fatal visits. Under 
such circumstances further comments, so far as comparison with the United States is con- 
cerned, are useless. 

It is very probable that the mildness of the climate may have exerted a greatly modifying 
influence upon the disease, rendering it less severe and less fatal. 



Appendix E. 



TABLES OF BRAZILIAN COINS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



LONG MEASURE. 

1 inch = .025 metro. 
1 foot = .304 metro. 
1 yard = .914 metro. 
1 mile = 1609.315 metros. 
1 league = 3000 bracas = 4.091 miles = 6.4837 
kilom. 
1 centim. == .393 in. = .0328 ft. 
1 metro = 39.368 in. = 3.280 ft. 
1 kilom. = .621 mile. 

LAND MEASURE. 

1 square inch = .000645 metro quadrado. 
1 square foot = .0929 metro quadrado. 
1 square yard = .836 metro quadrado. 
1 square mile = 2.589 kilom quadrados. 
1 acre = 4046.7 metros. 
1 hectare = 840 bracas qu. 
1 cubic inch = .000016386 mile cubic. 
1 cubic foot = .028315 mile cubic. 
1 cubic yard = .764513 mile cubic. 

WEIGHTS. 

1 grain = .0648 grammos. 
1 ounce, avoirdupois = 437| grains = 28.34954 
grammos. 
1 lb. avoirdupois 
1 kilog. = 2.20473 _. 
1 ton = 2240 lbs. = 1016048 kilogs 



.4535 kilogramme 



LIQUID AND DRY MEASURES. 

1 quart, United States measure = 0.946 litro. 
1 quart, imperial = 1.135 litro. 
1 quart, beer = 1.154 litro. 
1 quart, dry = 1.101 litro. 
1 gallon, liquid = 3.787 litros. 
1 bushel, dry = 35.246 litros. 
1 decalitro = .2837 bushel, dry = 2.641 gal- 
lons, liquid. 
While the French metrical system has be- 



come compulsory by law, a knowledge of some 
of the old denominations will be found useful 
for years to come in the remoter parts of Brazil. 

The Arroba is 32| lbs. avoirdupois. 

The Alqueire is equal to 1 1-10 bushel. 

The Covado is 26 7-10 inches long. 

The Vara is 43 3-10 inches long. 

The Palm is 8 inches. 

MONEY. 

The terms for money are derived from Portu- 
gal. The real (plural reis) is an imaginary 
coin. A milreis (one thousand reis) of Brazil 
is only one-half of that of the mother country. 
One milreis is thus expressed, 1S000. 

The coinage of Brazil is gold, silver, nickel, 
and bronze. 

The gold coins are twenty and ten milreis 
pieces. 

The 20S00O gold piece weighs 11 dwts. 12f 
grains, comparative value, $10.24. 

The 10$000 gold piece weighs 5 dwts. 14J 
grains, comparative value, $5.12. 

The silver coins are in pieces of 2$ 000, 1$000, 
0$500. 

The nickel coins are in pieces of 0$200, 0$100, 
0$50. 

The bronze coins are 20 reis and 10 reis. 

If the par of exchange is 27 pence, English, 
it follows that the American dollar is equal to 
1$829 reis. 

1 milreis (1$000) is equal to 54 7-10 cents. 

English sovereigns are legal tender to the 
amount of 8$ 890, since 1857. Since the Para- 
guayan war, gold and silver have almost dis- 
appeared in all ordinary business transactions, 
and the circulating medium is an inconvertible 
paper currency (treasury notes and the small 
coins mentioned above). All the bank-notes, 
bonds, and postage stamps of Brazil are en- 
graved by the American Bank-Note Engraving 
Company of New York. 



Appendix F. 



The following statement shows the annual 
aggregate imports into Brazil from foreign coun- 
tries, in contos de reis. (A conto = £112 10s. 
exch. 27d. per 1$000.) 



1840-41... 57,727 
1841-42... 56,040 
1842-43. ..50,639 
1843-44.. .55,289 
1844-45... 57,228 



1845-46.. .52,193 
1846-47... 55,740 
1847-48... 47,349 
1848-49... 51, 569 
1849-50... 59,165 



1850-51. ..76,918 
1851-52. ..92,860 
1852-53.. .87,336 
1853-54... 84,863 
1854-55... 84,780 



Annual statement of exports from Brazil, from 
1841 to 1855. (In contos de reis.) 



1840-41...41,670 
1841-42.. .39,084 
1842-43. ..41,039 
1843-44.. .43,800 
1844-45. ..47,054 



1845-46... 53,630 
1846-47... 52,449 
1847-48. ..57,925 
1848-49. ..56,789 
1849-50.. .55,032 



1850-51... 67 ,7 88 
1851-52... 6(3.040 
1852-53. ..73.644 
1853-54.. .76,843 
1854-55.. .80,570 



Statement of principal exports in four periods of five years each, and in 1863-6U- 
The Canada is nearly two gallons; the arroba, 32f lbs. avoirdupois. 



Articles. 




1st Period. 

1844-5 to '48-9. 

Average. 


2d Period. 
1849-50 to '53-4. 
Average. . 


3d Period. 

1853-4 to '57-8. 

Average. 


4th Period. 

185S-9 to '62-3. 

Average. 


1863-64. 




canadas 
arrobas 

number 
arroba 
oitavas 
arrobas 

it 
oitavas 
arrobas 


2,709,669 

714,959 

291,262 

7,591,885 

31,740 

190,203 

7,873,952 

680,028 

675,283 

632 

326,343 

38,336 

254,474 

194,808 

3,469 


2,654,820 
956,237 
256,865 

8,652,252 
47,081 
276,506 

8,850,183 
512,078 
533,653 
6,364 
499,204 
105,784 
404,221 
195,756 
5,003 


2,S47,935 
979,365 


2,313,782 
846,934 


1,784,993 




1,297,228 






7,765,695 

44,537 

223,058 

11,224,544* 

498,884 

448,498 


8,364,918 
40,381 
273,746 
10,933,697* 
634,454 
369,748 


7,941,310 
52,786 
284,190 

8,183,293* 
764,336 
445,625 


Hair 




Coffee 


Hides, salted... 
Hides, dry 




548,504 

143,130 

461,952 

75,401 


693,126 
164,380 
549,615 

370,586 


907,218 


India-Rubber.. 
Mate 


232,288 

719,069 

31,898 


Gold (bullion). 
Sarsaparilla.... 









* Average for these two periods is much affected by the partial destruction of the coffee-trees by an 
insect in 1861-62. In the year 1860-61 there was the greatest crop ever raised in Brazil. It amounted 
to 14,585,258 arrobas. In the year 1865 no less tbau 9,584,611 arrobas of coffee were exported from Rio 
and Santos alone : so that there is a great gain on 1863-64. 

Statement of principal imports in four periods of five years each, and the year 1863-6U. 



Articles. 



Cotton (manufactured) 

Wool... " 

Linen.. " 

Silk " 

MiKed.. " 

Wines 

Flour (Wheat) 

Hardware 

Salt Fish 

Crockery, porcelain, and cut gh 

Specie 

Salt 

Butter 

Machinery 

Drugs 

Tea 

Copper 

Coal 

Furniture 

Arms 

Boots and Shoes % 

Beef and Pork 

Oil 



Spirits, distilled. 
Powder 



624 



Average. 


Average. 


Average. 


Average. 




1844-45 to 


1849-50 to 


1843-54 to 


1S58-59 to 


1863-64. 


1848-49. 


1853-54. 


1857-58. 


1862-63. 




Value in 


Value in 


Value in 


Value in 


Value in 


Contos. 


Contos. 


Contos. 


Contos. 


Contos. 


16,781 


26,445 


30,350 


30,501 


23,970 


2,926 


4,821 


6,116 


4,963 


4,401 


1,905 


2,510 


2,638 


2,616 


2,992 


1,287 


1,892 


2,730 


2,865 


2,350 


1.571 


2,222 


4,127 


2,670 


2,735 


3,058 


3,321 


3,145 


4,608 


5,632 


3,457 


4,330 


5,495 


7,679 


4,142 


2,193 


3,256 


4,371 


6,167 


4,797 


1,212 


1,584 


2,867 


2,773 


1,383 


932 


1,403 


1,880 


1,712 


1,462 


2,050 


6,929 


7,686 


4,376 


19,607 


796 


687 


853 


1,026 


1,326 


1,186 


1,394 


1,571 


2,149 


1,940 


213 


242 


277 


796 


621 


467 


724 


1,094 


1,456 


1,498 


277 


272 
404 








398 








542 


1,068 


1,458 


2,540 


1,833 


163 


115 








206 


316 








314 


329 










1,560 
560 








608 


696 


1,004 


1,122 


400 


407 


890 


1,661 


1,665 


241 


330 










Appendix F. 



625 



The importation of Brazil in three periods was 
made by the principal importers as follows : — 





1S44-5 


1854-5 


1863-4. 


Great Britain & Possessions 

France and Possessions 

Portugal and Possessions ... 
Spain'and Possessions 


contos 

30,503 

7,441 

4,552 

737 

5,703 

2,725 

1,711 

868 

92 

828 

475 

2,093 


contos 

45,450 

9,978 

6.46S 

1,230 

6,991 

4,884 

4,217 

1,671 

1,128 

755 

260 

1,648 


contos. 
64,838 
23,110 
6,346 
2,250 
6,259 
5,453 
9,062 
1,805 
146 


Hanseatic Cities 




Chile 


Sardinia (Italy after 1860) .. 


778 
776 


Others 


2,222 






57,228 


84,780 


123,045 



The exports of Brazil were made 
To 





1844-5 


1854-5 


1863-4. 


Great Britain & Possessions 

France and Possessions 

Portugal and Possessions... 
Spain and Possessions 


contos 

11,306 

2,462 

4,216 

697 
9,210 
4,844 
2,427 
1,612 

165 
1,072 
3,125 
5,918 


contos 

29,274 

8,172 

4,649 

877 

25,807 

6,675 

4,175 

2,783 

1,479 

1,217 

1,624 

5,838 


contos. 

52,485 

17,060 

6,662 

4,316 

21,666 




1,184 




4,014 




620 


Chile 


1,188 


Sardinia (Italy after I860)... 


565 
764 


Others 


18,946 








47,054 


90,570 


129,47C 



N.B.— A conto of reis (1000$) = £112 10s. 



The three principal articles of export from Brazil 
in twenty-four years. Arroba = 32 lbs. 

Cotton. Coffee. Sugar, 

(arrobas.) (arrobas.) (arrobas.) 

1840-41 691,875 5,059,223 6,698,391 

1841-42 639,580 5.565,325 4,817.577 

1842-43 685,149 5,897,555 5,209,721 

1843-44 814,255 6,294,281 5,682,! 

1844-45 826,445, 

1845-46 645,345 

1846-47 606,882 

1847-48 639,288 

1848-49 849.416 

1849-50 1,109,314 5,935,817 

1850-51 883,440 10,148,268, 

1851-52 898,250 9,544,858 7,4SU,uyy 

1852-53 997.908 9,923,982 10,681,344 

1853-54 892,273 8,698,036 8,258,378 

1854-55 869,960 13,027,526 7,951,422 

1855-56 1,024,801 11,651,806 7.448.582 

1856-57 1.088,025 13,026,299 7,670,430 

1857-58 1,014,550 9,719,054 7,257,758 

1858-59 751,348 11,168,110 10,506,245 

1859-60 854,624 10,307,293 5,735,070 

1860-61 670,860 14,585,258 f4,451,188 

1861-62 872.210 9,880.924 10,571,970 

1862-63 1,085,628 8,716,836 9,345.371 

.1,297,228 8,183,293 7,7S4,3iC 



229,277 7.476,286 

7,034,582 7,110,804 

7,947,753 6,963,960 

9,307,292 7,409,349 

8,354,840 8,801.616 

"" ,993,986 
907,860 



KECENT STATISTICS. 

The average annual total exportation of 
coffee from Brazil in the rive years from 1869 
to 1874 was 371,507,001 lbs. But the average 
for the two years, 1872-74, were much greater, 
being 470,197,670 lbs. 

The average annual purchase by the United 
States for the five years from 1869 to 1874 was 
209,364,375 lbs. But in the year 1871 the United 
States purchased 257,472,708 lbs. 

The actual total annual production of coffee 
in Brazil is estimated at more than 500,000,000 
lbs. The sum total purchased by the United 
States from Brazil for the last five years has 
been 1.117,553,972 lbs., or an annual average 
of 223,510,754 lbs. 

To demonstrate how the trade between the 
United States and Brazil has been on the 
wrong side of the ledger for the United States, 
I append the following table of exports and 
imports from 1866 to 1878 inclusive : — 





U. S. ex- 
ports to 
Brazil. 


Imports 

from 

Brazil, 


1866 


$5,785,504 
5,200,351 
5,842,883 
6,069,079 
5,817,846 
6,089,154 
5,985,924 
7,199.922 
7,705.820 
7,745,359 
7.347.380 
7,498.118 
8.610,646 


$16,831,423 
19,132,951 

23,682,885 


1867 


1868 


1869 


24,912.450 
27,175,959 


1870 


1871 


30.560.648 


1872 


30.134,249 


1873 


38,558,028 
43,911,315 
42,033.046 
45,453,173 


1874 


1875 


1876 


1^77 


43,414 346 


1878 


42,972,036 





The increase in the exports in 1878 was 
doubtless owing to the rail plant sent for the 
Madeira and Marmore' railway. 

Washington, October 29, 1878. — The Chief 
of the Bureau of Statistics reports the com- 
merce between the United States and Brazil 
during the year ended June 30, 1878, as fol- 
lows : — 

domestic exports (all merchandise). 

Commodities. Quantity. Dollars. 
Bread stuffs : 

Wheat flour, bbls 616,132 4,436,006 

Indian corn, bush 167.154 106,881 

Wheat, &c., bush 52,523 75,000 

Iron and steel and manu- 
factures of. 803,405 

Petroleum, refined, galls.. 3,802,594 655,797 
Provisions : 

Lard, lbs 5,715,720 604,999 

All other nrovisions 27,935 

Cotton manufactures 523,322 

Railroad cars 340,458 

Wood and manufactures 

of. 224.909 

Drugs, chemicals, &c 104,889 

Household furniture 54,631 

Paper and stationery 49,024 

Naval stores, bbls 23,071 50,175 

Glass and glassware 42,038 

Perfumery 28,569 

Clocks and parts of. 22,436 

All other articles. 460,172 

Total exports 8,610,646 



626 



Appendix F. 



imports (all merchandise, except specie 
$3,063), in 1878. 



Commodities. Quantity. 

Coffee, lbs 211,654,160 

Sugar, brown, lbs 78,076,553 

India-rubber and gutta 
percha, crude, lbs.... 5,876,112 

Hides 

Barks, medicinal, lbs.. 403,007 

Wool, raw, lbs 798,998 

Wood, unmanufac- 
tured, lbs 



Dollars. 

35,367,992 

3,165,384 

2,457,398 

1,288,085 

196,786 

97,127 

88,061 



Amount carried forward 42,660,833 



Amount brought forward $42,660,833 
Chemicals, drugs, dyes, 

and medicines 61,166 

All other articles N.E.S 250,037 



Total . 



$42,972,036 



DEBT OF BRAZIL. 



According to the report of the Minister of 
Finances, the total debt of Brazil, both home 
and foreign, at the end of the year 1876, was 
£73,580,890. The annual charge to the State 
for sinking fund and interest was £3,092,630. 



The following extracts from a letter written by the United States Consul-General Adamson 
of Brazil on the Brazilian trade in articles of food is of general interest in the United States : — 

Rio de Janeiro, Sept. 30, 1878. 

In view of the fact that the empire of Brazil produces but a small part of the many principal 
articles of food consumed by its people, that not only the products of other climates, but also 
those things produced within her own borders, such as rice, corn, and meats, enter largely into 
the list of her staple imports, the trade in food substances deserves the attention of our mer- 
chants who seek to establish business relations with this country. 

Each province of this empire has some great source or sources of wealth, to the production 
of which everything else is made subordinate. In the southern provinces these are animal 
products — hides, beef, horns, hair, &c. In San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro it is coffee. In 
Bahia, tobacco. In Pernambuco, sugar and cotton. In Para, India-rubber, Brazil nuts, and 
cacao. Everything else is discarded or neglected. While potatoes, rice, beans, onions, &c, 
are easily produced here, they are almost wholly imported from France, England, and Portugal. 
Indian corn, which grows well in the uplands, comes mainly from the United States, and 
jerked beef, the principal meat food of the whole empire, which is so easily produced in the 
southern provinces, is imported from Uruguay and Buenos Ayres to the extent of fourteen-fif- 
teenths of the whole consumption. 

Whether this state of affairs is favorable to the prosperity of Brazil is not a question within 
the scope of this article. It is sufficient for the merchant to know that it is favorable to a cer- 
tain line of commercial enterprise. Those who intend to engage in this branch of trade should 
first make a careful study of the methods employed by our competitors in preparing and pack- 
ing their goods for South American markets. 

The labels, covers, and capsules on cans, jars, and packages of fruits, vegetables, oysters, &c, 
are important factors in all efforts to introduce these goods into this market. Good taste 
should be displayed in all things. The Brazilians are great admirers of France, and are largely 
influenced by the preferences and prejudices of the French people. 

The means employed to preserve and the methods of packing employed in the United States 
are frequently insufficient for Brazil. In this hot, moist climate, our ordinary food preparations 
spoil very quickly, and for that reason the greatest care is necessary both in preparation and 
packing. 

Wheaten Flour. — The greater part of the flour consumed in Brazil comes from the 
United States, and for fifty years past it has been our chief article of export to this country. Our 
competitors are Austria and Uruguay, both of whom are slowly gaining at our expense. The 
Austrian flour is highly esteemed, and commands about a dollar a barrel more than American. 
It is packed in smaller and stronger barrels than ours, but containing the same weight. 

Of American flour, Richmond brands are preferred in this market. Of late there has been 
much complaint of the bad condition in which American flour arrives. The barrels are said to 
be not so strong as formerly. To retain our past supremacy in this trade, the quality of the 
flour must be kept up to a uniformly high standard, and more care exercised in packing and 
shipping. 

The imports of flour at Rio de Janeiro during the last three years were as follows : — 

From 1877. 

United States 267,360 

Uruguay 139,525 

Austria 26,860 



433,745 



1876. 


1875. 


Packages 


341,030 


361,400 


Barrels. 


68,592 
18,030 






25,146 


Barrels. 


427,652 


386,546 





Appendix F. 627 

The imports of American flour in 1876 for all Brazil were 530,194 barrels, against a total im- 
portation of 738,285 barrels. In 1877 the imports for all Brazil were of American, 435,115, 
against a total of 696,347 barrels. 

Lard. — Lard comes almost wholly from the United States, there being no competition 
worthy of mention. Great care should always be observed with its packing so as to command 
the paying price. 

Salted Meats. — There is but a limited demand for salted meats here, and that principally 
amongst the shipping. In 1877, only eighty barrels were imported from the United States of 
America. 

Hams. — Thus far the American cured hams have had a very unfortunate reputation in this 
market. In nearly every case they have proved inferior to the English ham in quality, and 
therefore sell at a much lower price. They also lack keeping qualities — in many cases spoil- 
ing before they can be placed on the market. The English ham is preferred at a cost of from 
ten to fifteen cents per pound over the American. The surfaces are carefully cleaned or pared, 
chaff is placed inside the canvas covering, and they are then carefully packed in coarse dry 
salt, in boxes or barrels. As it is a question of preparation, not of price, our shippers must 
make the necessary improvement in curing and packing before they can hope for success 
here. 

Dried meats of the finer kinds are imported from Portugal, Italy, and France. Jerked beef, 
or " carnesecca,*' as it is called here, comes almost entirely from the River Plate and Uruguay. 
During 1877 the receipts of that article at this port were 33,294,400 kilos, or 73,401,533 pounds, 
of which only one-fifteenth was Brazilian. 

Canned Meats. — Preserved meats in tin cans are imported in moderate quantities from 
Great Britain and France, and are used almost exclusively by foreigners or, in small quantities, 
by the richer Brazilians. A limited quantity of American pressed corned beef is sold here. 

Fish. — Of fish, dried, salted, or preserved by cooking, in tin cans, excluding codfish, there 
were imported in 1877 : 30 kegs from the United States, 5,834 boxes and kegs from France, 5,247 
boxes and kegs from Portugal, and 314 packages from other countries. 

Codfish. — The greater part of this article comes from British North America. The receipts 
during 1877 were 64,385 packages, of which 3,284 packages came from the United States. 
There is considerable sale for Oregon salmon, and I believe there is a good opening for the sale 
of lake trout and whitefish, if properly pushed. It is said that much of the salmon sold here 
as British is really American, with the labels changed. 

The following extract from a letter written at Bio, signed " A. J. L.," appeared in the New 
York Evening Post, June 27, 1878, and is a just criticism on many of the American adventurers 
who go to Brazil to transact business, without studying the people and the country : — 

Some of these men have not only been so deplorably ignorant as not to see why the lan- 
guage and customs and laws of Brazil should be obstacles to their methods of doing business, 
but also to be utterly incapable of understanding the difference between the money systems of 
the two countries, and of reducing values from one system to the other. They could not see 
why it is that Brazilian merchants expect the agents of important commercial houses to be 
well dressed, gentlemanly, and outwardly upright; and so they have continued to present 
themselves in linen dusters and slouched hats, to swagger and bluster in their business, to get 
drunk and make public exhibitions of themselves — one "representative" went so far as to 
employ men to follow him when on his sprees, in order that he might not be robbed — and to 
introduce mistresses into the best American and English society as wives. They could not see 
why it is that the speculation and sharp practices which our civil war entailed upon the country 
should not be accepted in all parts of the world as infinitely superior to the steady trustworthy 
business habits of the old-time houses, and so they have gone on tricking and scheming and 
cheating, until the name American has almost become a synonym for bad faith. They have 
refused to listen to the advice and warnings of the better class of Americans here, and have 
persisted in these practices, which have injured others as well as themselves, until patience 
has ceased to be a virtue, and ridicule has become the only resource where argument and pro- 
test have failed. Even the recently-arrived steamer, which did not bring the rumored number 
of "representatives," affords two conspicuous examples of the genus above described: one of 
them respectably connected and purposing to enter into a permanent business here, carrying 
and distributing a certain article on shipboard which no respectable house could sell over its 



628 Appendix F. 

counters; and the other, a member of one of the highest and most useful callings of our day, 
and coming here for a definite and highly important purpose, getting turned out of the best 
hotel in Rio de Janeiro the third night after his arrival, because of his becoming beastly drunk 
and attempting to force his way into a respectable lady's private room. All this may sound 
like commonplace gossip in New York, but to the little colony of Americans in this city, who 
are compelled to bear no small part of the disgrace, it is a matter of vital importance. It 
should be remembered that this colony scarcely exceeds fifty members, and that these new- 
comers frequently bring letters of introduction which give them access to the few American 
homes which the colony possesses. It is impossible to conceal these scandals, and to avoid the 
evil effects which they entail upon every American here, good, bad, or indifferent. More than 
that, these practices all have a directly injurious influence upon our commercial relations with 
this country, and form in no slight measure one of the causes of the decline in the sales of 
American manufactures in Brazil within the past twenty years. The swindling operations of 
an important ex-steamship company, the sharp practices of the " drummer," and the persistent 
efforts to dispose of goods inferior to sample, and bearing the brands of the better qualities, 
may not be thought in some mercantile circles to be very reprehensible methods of conducting 
our foreign trade ; but, even aside from the question of commercial morality, the experience of 
the past has proved it to be an unwise and losing policy, as the experience before us will 
certainly prove it to be one of the most serious obstacles in the way of our permanent 
advancement. 

It is through no captiousness or jealousy toward the new-comers that these complaints are 
made on the part of Americans here, much less through an unfriendly spirit toward the 
interests of American commerce ; it is simply an expressed desire on their part that something 
shall be done at home to relieve them from these impediments. They simply ask that 
American merchants and manufacturers shall desist from sending rowdies and profligates to 
this country to misrepresent them, that they shall protect their agents here in the benefits of 
an established line of trade, instead of throwing it open to all applicants after the agent's 
expense and trouble has resulted in success, and that at all times and in all circumstances 
the goods shall be equal to sample, and sold wholly upon their individual merits— not 
upon false and unwarranted brands. 



Appendix 6, 



RELIGIOUS DISABILITIES. 

EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH MADE BY Dr. FURQUIM DALMEIDA, 

At the Exchange of Rio de Janeiro, on the occasion of forming the International 
Emigration Society, January 26, 1866. 

But there are not only material embarrassments which we will have to remove 
to attract a great current of spontaneous emigration : the moral ones are much 
more important and much more difficult to combat. They are the old prejudices 
still encastled in our customs and in our laws, and maintained by a false patriotism 
and an intolerant religious spirit. Powerful enemies, everywhere opposing the 
most tenacious resistance to every innovation, to every idea of progress, these 
prejudices among us will not allow themselves to be vanquished easily: they will 
struggle while they have strength, and will yield only at the last extremity. We 
must count upon a bloody struggle, but we should not be discouraged on this 
account; on the contrary, we should invest ourselves with more patience and 
more courage to attack them and overcome them. This is the principal mission 
of our enterprise. 

Moral embarrassments are represented by three orders of facts, civil, poli- 
tical, and religious; and may be translated into civil, political, and religious 
inequality as regards the foreigner who wishes to adopt our country as his own. 

The civil inequality is quite patent. Our civil legislation prior to the law of 
September 11, 1861, did not acknowledge marriages not celebrated according to 
the prescriptions of the Catholic Church; that is, marriage purely and simply 
civil did not exist: consequently, marriages celebrated between Protestants or 
any other Dissenters, or by any other Church, were null, and for these the legi- 
timacy of their families, the first base of every well-organized society, was 
wanting. 

The law of September 11, 1861, wishing to satisfy in some measure the just 
complaints that were raised from all sides against this state of things, took a 
middle course, which does not satisfy the just reclamations of those who ask for 
civil marriage, and has much displeased the defenders of a purely religious and 
Catholic marriage. 

This law does not establish civil registry ; it contents itself with merely tole- 
rating marriages celebrated between Dissenters according to the rites of their 
various faiths, and by their respective clergy. But nothing is changed as regards 

629 



630 Appendix G. 

mixed marriages, and they, in the silence of the law, are regulated by the 
anterior legislation. 

The inequality and injustice in this point are manifest. The Dissenter is tole- 
rated merely to marry according to the ritual of his faith, when civil marriage 
should have been allowed to him as a perfect right, subject to no restriction, and 
to none of the many abuses to which marriage not civil can give place. Now, 
the marriage of Dissenters being merely tolerated, the consequence is that it is 
considered illegitimate in the eyes of the Catholic religion, the religion of the 
State, and the ecclesiastical authorities judge themselves authorized to consider 
it as such whenever occasion offers. 

Let us suppose a case which can very easily take place. A married couple, 
of any dissenting faith, weary of one another, come to an understanding that 
they ought to separate and marry again : they address themselves to any one of 
our bishops, abjure their religion, adopt Catholicism, and ask license to marry 
whomsoever each may choose. 

The bishop does not oppose the least doubt ; he receives them into the bosom 
of the Catholic Church, and grants them license to marry a second time, it being 
that the Catholic Church considers as simple concubinatio a marriage not made 
before it and according to its precepts. Facts like these have already taken place 
among us ; and their repetition must sap the basis of family, must withdraw 
from it all its moral strength, and implant immorality sanctioned by law. 

On the other hand, the law of September 11, 1861, regulates nothing with 
respect to mixed marriages : consequently, they continue to be performed accord- 
ing to the previous legislation, that is, they are made before a Catholic priest and 
according to the Catholic rites and usages sanctioned by the civil law. Now, the 
Catholic Church does not permit marriage between a Dissenter and a Catholic, 
unless with the condition that the Dissenter bind himself by oath to rear and 
educate the children in the Catholic religion. 

What injustice, what humiliation to the Dissenter who may wish to form ties 
with the families of the country ! He has to subject himself to a hard and humili- 
ating condition if he wish to obtain a Brazilian wife. He is obliged to stifle the 
cries of his conscience, which clamors that his religion is the best, and to swear 
that his children will be educated in the principles of that which he believes 
worse than his own. Gentlemen, do you know of a prescription more unjust, 
more intolerant, more absurd? 

Beyond all, the worst is that it is contrary to our Constitution, which esta- 
blishes liberty of conscience, and is useless because there is no method of enforcing 
it. Our Constitution guarantees to all the free exercise of his religion, with the 
sole restriction that the places of worship may not have the exterior form of a 
temple, i.e. with steeples and bells. 

That is to say, every one may follow the creed that pleases him, and may edu- 
cate his family in the same religious principles, without any authority having 
power to call him to account. Now, then, shall the civil legislation remain in 
flagrant contradiction to the Constitution in exacting that the Dissenter marrying 
a Catholic shall bind himself by oath to educate the children in the Catholic 
religion? Such a prescription is an exaction merely vexatious and humiliating, 
without any practical result, since our civil legislation has no penal sanction for 
it. What is the authority charged with its execution? 

A voice. — The ecclesiastic authority. 

Sr. Furquim. — This has at its disposal neither the secular arm nor the penal 
sanction: it can merely lay hand on excommunication, which to-day is worth no- 



Appendix G. 631 

thing. (Cries of No! No!) The Catholic himself amongst us can abjure his 
religion without any authority being able to call him to account, for the Consti- 
tution guarantees to all full liberty of conscience. (New cries of No! No!) Are 
we perchance in the Middle Ages? Can we be under the dominion of the Inqui- 
sition? So it might seem on hearing such warm and intolerant "No! No!" 
Happily we are in the nineteenth century, and in one of the most fioe and 
tolerant countries of modern times. I can, therefore, speak to you with all frank- 
ness and liberty. I am a Catholic, I was educated in this religion, I intend to 
belong to it until death ; but my reason tells me that it is needful to give to all the 
right of adoring God according to their conscience. (Great cheers.) 

By all that I have just exposed to you in relation to our legislation on mar- 
riages, you can appreciate how much it is incomplete, unjust, and unequal. 

In the political part the same injustice and inequality exist : our Constitution 
forbids to the naturalized foreigner access to certain elevated charges of the 
State, such as Deputy and Minister of State. There is in this a great injustice 
and inequality. To invite the foreigner to form part of our nationality, aban- 
doning all that is dear to him in his country, asking him to come with his family, 
his industry, his labor, his capital, enriching and aggrandizing our country, — to 
close on him the doors to the highest charges of the country he adopts, is an 
absurdity only explicable by the circumstances and the epoch in which our Con- 
stitution was promulgated. 

We had just declared our independence, and the country was yet in hostilities 
with the mother-country. The exclusion of foreigners from certain of the higher 
offices of the State was established on purpose to take these offices and keep them 
from the Portuguese. Now it is absurd, and has no more a reason to exist. 
It is an odious exclusion, — above all in a new country that has need to attract 
emigration with all its force. 

It remains to us to speak of the religious inequality in which the foreigner is 
placed relative to the native. This inequality transudes through every pore of 
our laws, beginning with the Constitution, which establishes that the religion of 
the State is Catholic, and considers it as a civil and political institution which has 
a distinct place among the various branches of our social organization. 

For it are destined all the official honors; churches constructed at the cost 
of the State: an important place in the estimates; imposts paid by all the fol- 
lowers of all religions, and of which it alone has the advantage. To other faiths 
the Constitution merely concedes tolerance ; it admits them, but with a certain 
distrust, with a certain reserve, in which Dissenters can discern a species of con- 
tempt. On the other hand, the Constitution exacts, for the exercising of certain 
offices, the oath to maintain the Catholic religion. It is a new embarrassment, 
a new injustice to the naturalized foreigner who belongs to a dissenting faith. 
Either he must be untrue to his conscience, or he has to see himself excluded for- 
ever from aspiring to the many high charges of the State. 

All these embarrassments, united to those we already mentioned in the part 
relative to marriages, constitute the most difficult part of our programme. The 
religious question arouses serious difficulty on both sides. On one hand we have 
to overcome the prejudices of the country in that respect; on another, the 
sectaries of dissenting faiths show the highest repugnance to come to a country 
where their faith is merely tolerated, whilst marriage, which is the basis of the 
family and of society, does not rest upon solid and secure bases, and in which 
the difference of religion excludes them from certain elevated charges of the 
State. 



632 Appendix G. 

They are serious obstacles ; but they must be vanquished if we wish a wide 
current of spontaneous emigration to travel towards our country. From the 
countries of the Latin race and of the Catholic religion few emigrants can come 
to us; the Latin race has little tendency towards emigration. For a proof I will 
cite France, which with all her power and resources has shipwrecked in the 
enterprise of peopling her colonies. The tendency to emigration only exists in 
the Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic races. If, then, we seriously wish to people our 
country, we should open its gates to all races and religions, abolishing all the 
religious embarrassments that still exist in our laws relative to Dissenters. 

By all I have just set forth to you, you must have comprehended what is our 
end in undertaking to found an international association of emigration, and what 
is the programme which it should have in view. You recognize that, to obtain 
a wide current of emigration to our country, it is indispensable, first of all, to 
treat of removing the obstacles that oppose themselves to it within the country. 
We see that these obstacles are material and moral; that among the material 
surges up the competition of slave labor, which it is needful to combat. We see 
that it is necessary to develop and perfect our ways of communication, to survey 
and mark off the public lands in localities appropriated to colonization. 

As to the moral obstacles, we recognize as the principal the civil, the political, 
and the religious inequality, and we see that it is indispensable to reform our 
legislation on marriage, establishing civil marriage, admitting the naturalized 
foreigner to all the offices of State, and putting an end to the differences of 
religion in all that I said respecting the civil and political rights of the naturalized 
foreigner. 

Our end, then, is very patent ; our programme very clear. We need to employ 
all the means within our reach to remove all the material and moral obstacles 
that oppose themselves to emigration. It is in this sense that all the powers of 
our association should be directed. If we in heart wish that our country be 
enriched and aggrandized; if we wish that there travel hither a wide and vast 
emigration of individuals of all the advanced races of Europe and the United 
States, who profess all varieties of faith ; if we wish them to settle and amal- 
gamate with our population, forming a homogeneous and strong nationality, and 
not constituting in the bosom of our country little nationalities distinct in race, 
in language, in religion, in customs, enemies and rivals, without cohesion among 
them, — if, in fine, we wish that our country fifty years hence be a nation on the 
European or North American model, and not an insignificant nation on the 
African, the Chinese, or the Indian model, the road to follow is this that we have 
just traced. Let us follow it with boldness, with perseverance, with sincere 
patriotism. (Many cheers and shouts of "Well done.") 



Appendix H, 



THE COAL-FIELDS OF THE RIVER JAGUARAO, AND ITS TRIBUTA- 
RIES THE RIVERS CANDIOTA AND JAGUARAO-CHICO, IN THE PRO- 
VINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 

The coal-basin of the river Jaguarao is situated in the southern part of the province of Rio Grande 
do Sul, between lat. 31° and 32° South, and long. 324° and 325°, (French Meridian,) in the valley of 
the Jaguarao and its tributaries the rivers Candiota and Jaguarilo-chico. It covers an area of about 
fifty miles by thirty, its greatest diameter being from north to south. The coal strata, which the 
geological section illustrates, and from whence the accompanying specimens have been obtained and 
the thickness of the beds determined, are exposed in an elevated escarpment on the bank of the 
river Candiota, at a place called "Serra Partida," where they appear in the following order of 
superposition : — 

The uppermost bed (No. 1) is composed of sandstone of a highly ferruginous nature, resembling 
in its appearance the "Gres Bizarre" of Europe. It contains nodules of a silicious peroxide of iron, 
yielding from 25 to 35 per cent, of metal. It varies considerably in its thickness, in some places 
being completely worn away, and in others attaining a depth of upwards of 200 feet. Immediately 
below this occurs a bed (No. 2) of coal-shale, very argillaceous, and perhaps unfit for fuel : it possesses 
a thickness of 9 feet, and can be seen cropping out wherever the superincumbent bed has been de- 
nuded: it rests upon a bed (No. 3) of sandy ochreous shale, containing spetaria of an ochreous oxide 
of iron, which, together with the iron-stone found in the sandstone, will, in all probability, be turned 
to profitable account when the coal-beds are worked. Underneath this is a bed (No. 4) of bituminous 
coal, 3 feet thick. The mineral, although it leaves a high percentage of ash, will be found useful 
in melting the iron-ores from the interstratifying beds ; and there is every reason for supposing that 
it will be found of a better quality when the bed is fairly worked. The samples tested were taken 
from very near the surface, which may in some measure account for its apparent impurity : it rests 
on a bed (No. 5) of white clay, or schist, containing innumerable impressions of fossil plants (perhaps 
aquatic), the general appearance of which would lead one to conclude that these Carboniferous de- 
posits belong to a later period than that assigned to the coal-measures of England and the United 
States, were such a conclusion not confuted by the fossil ferns found in the other interstratifying 
shales : it has a thickness of 5 feet, and overlies a bed (No. 6) of good coal, 11 feet thick. This coal 
resembles very much in its appearance the Newcastle, and may be traced for many miles along the 
banks of the river Candiota, sometimes forming the bed of that river, and of the small streams falling 
into it ; it is separated from another seam by a thin parting of blue clay (No. 7). The coal of the 
lower bed (No. 8) appears to be even of a better quality than No. 6: it has a clean, shining fracture, 
and in some places thin seams of pure cannel coal may be traced along the bed. It is highly in- 
flammable, boiling up like oil during combustion. This coal has been used as fuel in various ways 
with marked success. It has been tried on the steamers navigating the "Lagoa dos Patos" in the 
province of Rio Grande, and although it left a greater portion of ash than the Cardiff coal, it was 
found to be a good caking coal, and served every purpose of a steam fuel. Below this is another bed 
(No. 9) of blue clay, containing vestiges of fossil plants. In every thing else it is similar to the upper 
bed of the same mineral, and has a thickness of 9 feet. It reposes on the thickest seam (No. 10) of 
coal exposed in the escarpment at the " Serra Partida." This is the lowest bed of coal exposed in any 
part of the coal-field of Candiota; but in all probability other beds will be found nearer to the centre 
of the basin, or this, as well as the incumbent beds, may become thicker, judging from the fact that 
all the beds appear to thicken as they approach the middle of the valley of the river Jaguarao. The 
great thickness (25 feet) and the good and homogeneous character of the seam are important features 
in this coal-field. The mineral (although taken from near the decomposed face of the cliff on the 
river Candiota) was found to leave even less ash than that from the seam above. It has frequently 
been used on steamers with the same success as Newcastle coal. The coke obtained from this coal 
by Mr. W. G. Ginty, of the Rio Gas "Works, (see Mr. Ginty's report,) was even better than that derived 
from Newcastle coal. It overlies a bed (No. 11) of ironstone shale, which, in a scientific point of 
■view, : s the most important deposit of the coal-measures of the Jaguarao, from the fact of its con- 
taining impressions of organic remains, by which the geological age of the coal-beds can be determined ; 
the fossil plants found imbedded in this shale all belong to the same genera as those which charac- 
terize the coal-fields of Great Britain and the United States, — the most abundant belonging to the 
genera " Lepidodendron " and " Glossopteris ;" others have been recognized as being similar to the 
ferns found in the very oldest secondary rocks, thus leaving no uncertainty as to the true Carboni- 
ferous character of the coal-measures of the river Candiota. This seam is very prolific of fossils ; and 
there can be no doubt that when these immense beds of mineral treasure are worked, many new and 
interesting forms of vegetable life will be brought to light to enrich our knowledge of the coal-fields 
of the Southern hemisphere. The iron-stone shale is very rich in metal, and will, doubtless, be 
worked as an iron ore, when the mines are opened. Below this there occurs another bed (No. 12) of 
sandstone, similar in all respects to the uppermost bed, after which is a bed (No. 13) of fine crystal- 

633 



634 



Appendix fl. 



GEOLOGICAL SECTION OF STKATA SHOWN ALONG THE VALLEY OP 
THE CANDIOTA, RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 



> Surface. 



113 Ft. 



> Ferruginous 
sandstone. 



> Coal shale. 



Sandy shale. 



Coal. 

White fossiliferous 



> Parting of blue clay. 




< Fossiliferous clay. 



Ironstone shales 
with fossil ferns. 



Metalliferous lime- 
stone. 



Appendix H. 635 

line limestone, containing small fragments of graphite disseminated throughout the mass: it is tra- 
versed also hy veins of a very pure carbonate of lime in the form of double-refracting spar, which in 
some places attain a considerable thickness. This limestone will not only be of immense value as a 
calcined lime, but also as a flux in smelting the iron ores. The three things essential for the erection 
of smelting works are thus found on the same district interstratifying each other, — the ore, the fuel, 
and the flux, all of the very first quality, — a combination of mineral riches (only waiting for the 
hand of man to realize them) scarcely to be found together in one spot in any otlnr part of the 
globe. Evidently, the two lowest beds of these coal-measures are mica-schist (No. 14), and another 
limestone rock (No. 15), of a very dark and compact nature. It is scarcely possible to determine 
which is the lowermost, as in some places the mica-schist is seen lying on the sienite which surrounds 
the coal-basin, and in others the limestone: the name of "Metalliferous limestone" has been given 
it, owing to the innumerable crystals and thin veins of sulphuret of iron which appear in it. In 
all probability, other metalliferous veins will be found in this limestone. 

Nearly the whole of the coal-basin of the yalley of the Jaguarao is enclosed by sienitic hills of 
from 200 to 300 feet high ; the sides towards the coal-field slope gently downwards till they disappear 
under the sandstone overlying the coal : on the other side, the sienite, after presenting an uneven 
and undulating aspect for some three or four leagues, gradually subsides into an even country, which 
continues on almost perfectly plain till the seaport city of Rio Grande do Sul (S. Pedro) is reached. 
So that the company already formed for making the survey for a railway to carry the mineral riches 
of the valley of the Jaguarao down to a seaport, where the coal can be shipped to the different ports 
along the coast of Brazil and to the river Plate, will find no difficulty in discovering a route along 
which a cheap line of rails can be laid down. 

The engraving opposite p. 347 (from a photographic view of the different escarpments in which the 
coal-beds are shown along the river Candiota) will show the great facilities afforded for working the 
coal in almost any part of the basin, by open cuttings. Tram-ways can be laid down branching off in 
different directions from the main trunk line, along which the coal-wagons can be run right into the 
seams of coal, thereby rendering the sinking of expensive shafts quite unnecessary. 

The general dip of the beds is from 5° to 10° S. W., and in no place are there signs of subsequent 
upheavals or dislocations of strata visible, so that very little obstruction will be met with in carrying 
the tram-ways along the seams as the working of them goes forward. 

It is almost unnecessary to dwell upon the immense value of these coal-deposits as a commercial 
enterprise, when it has been already ascertained, by a "running survey" of the country between the 
seaport of Rio Grande do Sul (S. Pedro) and the coal-mines of Candiota, that in all probability the coal 
will be delivered, on board vessels lying in the port of Rio Grande at perhaps less than Rs. 7$000 
per ton, where it is at the present moment being sold at Rs. 24$000, and as soon as a bill is passed 
allowing vessels of all nations to trade between the Brazilian ports, there will be no lack of enter- 
prising ship-owners to carry the Rio Grande coal to Rio de Janeiro, in which port alone the enormous 
amount of 180,000 tons of coal are annually imported for a price which will enable the coal-mining 
company to sell the Candiota coal, in the market of the capital of the Brazilian Empire, for about Rs. 
15§000 per ton, a price which will annihilate any competition from foreign markets, seeing that the 
foreign coal is seldom sold for less than Rs. 22$000 per ton. 

The consumption of coal in the river Plate is perhaps as great as that of Rio de Janeiro, and the 
facilities for supplying the markets of Buenos Ayres and Montevideo from the coal-mines of the 
river Candiota are still greater than those for supplying Rio. The coal can be sent from the mines, 
put on board colliers, and delivered in Montevideo, in three or four days, at about half the cost of de- 
livering the same article in Rio, and in a market where coal is never less than fifteen dollars per ton, 
or Rs. 30$000. The consumption of coal along the Brazilian coast and in the river Plate increases yearly, 
and in all probability it will be found, after the coal-mines of Candiota have been opened for a few 
years, that a single line of railway will not be found sufficient to carry the supply of coal to meet 
the increasing demands. 

Rio de Janeiro, 20th July, 1865. Nathaniel Plant, 

The Brazilian Coal-Fields, by Edward Hull, B.A., F.G.S. 

(Note from the Quarterly Journal [England] of Science, No. II. April, 1864.) 

The immense empire of Brazil, occupying one-third of the continent of South America, with an 
area of upwards of 3,000,000 of square miles ; considerably larger than Russia in Europe ; watered 
by the largest river in the world, which, with its tributaries, is navigable for many hundred miles 
from its mouth; its western bounds stretching to the spires of the Andes, and its eastern washed by 
the waves of two oceans, — such a country as this would appear fitted to occupy the foremost rank 
amongst the nations of the Western hemisphere, provided its boundless resources were turned to 
account by an intelligent people, and civilization were advanced by wise laws. 

It is satisfactory to reflect, that while most of the surrounding republics — the shattered limbs of 



636 Appendix H. 

Spanish America — are tossed on the waves of anarchy, Brazil enjoys a peaceful government, undek a 
constitutional monarchy; personal freedom, with political security; monarchical principles com- 
bined with popular rights. We notice these points in the government of Brazil because they afford 
the highest guarantee of national progress and development of industrial pursuits. Nor are the raw 
materials necessary for the attainment of a high position among the manufacturing communities 
of the world absent from the soil of Brazil. 

The northern half of the empire is physically not unlike the plain of Northern Italy on a large 
scale. Covered with forests springing from a rich alluvial soil, and watered by the Amazon and its 
giant branches, it is prodigiously fertile. The southern half is hilly, and sometimes mountainous, and 
gives birth to the Rio de la Plata. One of the peaks of the Organ Range rises behind the harbor of 
Rio de Janeiro to an altitude of 7,500 feet. It was once supposed that this great empire — rich in 
precious stones and nearly all the metals from gold to iron inclusive— was devoid of one natural 
product, useful, if not absolutely essential to the full utilization of the other mineral treasures, namely, 
coal; but such a supposition was altogether erroneous, as recent investigations have fully shown. 

A writer in a recent number of the Quarterly Review for 1860 mentions [in a Review of Brazil and 
the Brazilians] the existence of a coal-field about forty miles from the sea [in the province of Rio 
Grande do Sul]. This is all that was known on the subject on this side of the Atlantic, till very 
recently. 

To a countryman of our own, Mr. Nathaniel Plant, we are indebted for a full account of the 
position and resources of three distinct coal-fields which he has recently explored in the southern part 
of the empire. The largest presents some features of peculiar interest, which we proceed briefly to 
lay before our readers. 

The first notice of these minerals seems to have been taken by a Mr. Guilherme Bouleich, in the 
province of Rio Grande do Sul. This appears to have been in the year 1859. 

The matter, how r ever, seems to have been lost sight of until the end of 1861, when Mr. N. Plant, 
who for several years had been examining the mineral districts of Rio Grande do Sul, and other parts 
of South America, determined to make a fuller exploration of the coal districts; and he has now sent 
to this country an account of the very remarkable deposits of mineral fuel to be met with, together 
with those unbiassed witnesses, — photographic views and rock specimens.* 

The Candiota coal-field is the largest of the three which have yet been discovered. It lies between 
lat. 31° and 32° S., and is thus at the extremity of the province of Rio Grande do Sul. It is traversed 
by the river Jaguarao and several of its tributaries, along whose banks the seams of coal crop out. 
There are two great seams of bituminous coal, the lower being 25 feet in thickness, and separated 
by only a very few feet of shale from the upper bed, (or series of beds, which is 40 feet in thickness.) 
In some places the intermediate bands of shale which separate the mineral into distinct layers, thin 
away, in which case a solid seam of no less than 65 feet is formed, unsurpassed, wo believe,.in vertical 
dimensions by any similar formation yet discovered. We have handled specimens of the coal ; and, 
though taken from the outcrop, it is scarcely distinguishable, except by a slight brownish hue, from 
the ordinary coal of our own country. 

The coal strata reposes on a series of shales, sandstones, and crystalline limestones, the whole of 
which are supported by mica-schist, and finally by sienite. 

Iron is also present, as in the coal-formation of Britain, both in the form of bands of clay-ironstone 
and as a roof for the seams of coal. At the top of the cliff formed by the outcrop of the coal-seams 
there occurs a mass of silicious iron-ore several yards thick, a sheet casting from which, taken by Mr. 
N. Plant, was exhibited at the late Industrial Exhibition among other Brazilian products. Thus 
there occur in close proximity to each other the ore, the fuel, the flux and clay necessary for the 
establishment of iron-furnaces. 

The several minerals thus united rise in the form of an elevated escarpment, which maybe traced 
for several leagues, affording the utmost facility for working by open works, or tunnels driven into 
the sides of the hills. 

From its base stretches a gently sloping plain of basalt, over which a railway to a port on the Rio 
Gonsalo might be laid down at a very moderate cost. .********* 
******************** 

After an inspection of the fossil plants which have been sent over to this country, there can be no 
doubt, we think, that these beds belong to the Carboniferous age. Mr. Plant has sent over several 
pieces of ironstone on which are imprinted very distinct specimens of Lepidodendron, and several 
ferns not unlike those of the coal measures of Britain. A gentleman, also, who has studied the coal 
measures of Nova Scotia, which are of the same age as those of Britain, refers in a letter, which we 
have seen, to fine specimens of Sigillaria and Stigmaria, both of which are characteristic of this 
period. Specimens of these, however, we have not seen in the collection we have examined; but, 
nothing can be more distinct than the fronds of Lepidodendron already referred to. While on this 

* These have been laid before the Geological Society, Manchester, by his brother, Mr. S. Plant, Curator of the Royal 
Museum, Salford- 



Appendix H. 637 

subject, we may be allowed to remark that although, on the authority of Professor M'Coy, the age 
of the Australian coal-fields was for some time considered to be Jurassic, the recent investigations of 
the Rev. W. B. Clarke go to establish the Carboniferous age of these beds. Mr. Clarke has sent to 
England a collection of fossils from the New South Wales coal-fields, containing specimens of Lepi- 
dodendron and Spirifer; and thus it would appear that during the same great epoch, so pre-eminently 
Carboniferous, deposits of coal were being elaborated over both sides of the equatoi-, — a marvellous 
instance of the uniformity of nature's operations in early geologic times. 

The importance of these great deposits of coal to the commerce of the eastern seaboard of South 
America need not be dwelt upon. At the present time nearly 200,000 tons of coal are annually im- 
ported into Rio de Janeiro alone, at a cost of forty-nine shillings per ton, and from this depot other 
coast towns are supplied. When once the coal-fields of Candiota are opened up, the Brazilian Govern- 
ment may be supplied at nearly half the price, and our own little island be spared the doubtful honor 
of providing fuel for a continent on the other side of the globe. 

(Signed) Edward Hull. 



Report on the Candiota Coal, by W. G. Gintt, Engineer-in-Chief of the 
Rio de Janeiro Gas Works. 

Mb. Nathaniel Plant: 

Dear Sir : — I have received and examined your samples of Brazilian coal from Candiota with great 
interest, and I am glad to be able to congratulate you on its really good quality. 

The samples you sent me were too small for complete and satisfactory analysis in the apparatus 
at my disposal. I found also the samples varied a good deal in appearance and quality. This has 
arisen, no doubt, from their having been obtained from various positions on the nearly perpendicular 
face of the immense stratum, and from variable periods of exposure, as, owing to the crumbling away 
or disintegration of pieces under the incessant action of the weather, these samples may have been 
exposed for periods varying from each other as seconds do from centuries. 

The Candiota coal resembles the Newcastle steam-coal (whicn comes to this market, at least) very 
much in structure, cleavage, and general appearances ; nor does it differ very much from Newcastle 
coal in its useful properties, except that it contains more than double the quantity of ash, which is 
detrimental to its heating powers; but this objection is likely enough to disappear altogether in 
samples from the deeper parts of the mine. 

The coke from the Candiota coal is, however, very different in appearance from that of the New- 
castle coal, and resembles the coke of (what is sold here as) Cardiff coal in its silvery-colored laminations. 

Some of this Candiota coal, however, especially that of the lower seam, is very friable, and is 
evidently what is called caking coal (that is, it boils or becomes molten during the process of car- 
bonization) : however all the qualities of the coke from the Candiota coal are very good. 

As you say the dip or inclination of the seams or strata of this Candiota coal is 5° from the 
plane of the horizon, I think it most reasonable to presume that a much finer, more compact, and 
equable quality of coal may be calculated upon at lower depths. 5° is a gradient of 1 in 11.4, or 8.77 
per cent., or 462 feet per mile. Thus, in such an immense field as you have described to ine,*there is 
ample margin for obtaining other than surface coal, which for obvious reasons, in Brazil as elsewhere, 
cannot be as pure, as compact, or as uniform in quality as that obtained at great depths. I shall 
watch the prosecution of your explorations in this direction with great interest. 

The following are the results of my examinations (as far as they went) on the Candiota coal,— the 
samples of Newcastle, Cardiff, and Wigan Cannel, with which it is compared below, having been tried 
at the same time in the same apparatus :— 

Specific Per- Illuminating 

Gravity cent Cubic Feet Power in 

Water, of of Gas Standard 

1.000 Coke. per Ton. Candles. 

Candiota coal (mean of three qualities) 1.240 63 6,900 5.00 

Do. do. lower seam 1.230 60 8,198 5.80 

Newcastle 1.250 62 

Cardiff 1.275 SO 

Gas, or Cannel coal (Case and Morris) 1.240 62 9,600 20.50 

From the appearance of the lower seam, I do not despair of your finding a good gas coal for us in 
the Candiota district, and thus freeing the Brazilian Gas Companies from the fearful tax they have to 
pay in the shape of freights from England, amounting to from 200 to 300 per cent, on the value of the 
materia prima. I send you labelled samples of the different qualities of coke above referred to. 
I remain your obedient servant, 

(Signed) W. G. Gintt, Mem. Inst. C. E., 

Engineer Rio de Janeiro Gas Company 



Appendix I. 



THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS AT RIO DE JANEIRO IN 1864. 



Months. 



January..., 
February.. 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 
October.... 
November 
December . 



7 A.M. 



25.350 
25.399 
24.970 
24.240 
21.920 
20.029 
19.229 
20.130 
20.700 
21.844 
23.321 
24.839 



Centigrade. 



1 P.M. 



27.250 
27.820 
27.155 
26.762 
23.986 
22.806 
22.221 
22.781 
22.838 
23.951 
24.815 
26.519 



26.719 
27.040 
28.052 
26.081 
23.484 
22.392 
21.855 
22.017 
22.414 
23.127 
24.672 
25.233 



The same reduced to Fahrenheit. 



7 A.M. 



77.630 
77.718 
76.946 
75.632 
71.456 
68.052 
66.612 
68.234 
69.260 
71.319 
73.978 
76.710 



81.050 
82.076 
80.879 
80.172 
75.175 
73.051 
71.998 
73.006 
73.110 
75.112 
76.667 
79.734 



80.094 
80.672 
82.494 
78.946 
74.271 
72.306 
71.339 
71.631 
72.345 
73.629 
76.410 
77.419 



Average. 



79.591 
80.155 
80.107 
78.250 
73.634 
71.136 
69.984 
70.957 
71.571 
73.353 
75.684 
77.954 



Meteorological and other observations by Lieutenants (Brazilian Navy) Jose da Costa Azevedo and 

Joao Soares Pinto, of the Commission for settling the limits between Brazil and Peru. 

Average Temperature, each month for six months, at Para, (lat. S. 1° 27' 06",) from observations in 

the street of»S. Jeronimo, from November to April inclusive, 1861-62. 





Reaumur. 


The same by therm. Fahrenreit. 




7 A.M. 


1 P.M. 


5 P.M. 


7 A.M. 


1 P.M. 


5 P.M. 




20.0 
20.1 
20.4 
19.5 
19.3 
_19.5 


22.2 
22.6 
22.6 
22.8 
22.5 
23.5 


21.7 
21.5 
21.4 
21.8 
22.1 
21.8 


77 

77.2 

78 

75.8 

75.4 

75.8 


82 

82.8 

82.8 

83.3 

82.6 

84.8 


80.8 




80.3 




80.1 




81 




81.7 




81 






Average for six months 


19.6 


22.8 


21.7 


76 


83.3 


80.8 



Average Temperature each month for six months in 1862, at Manaos (Barra), from observations 
the grounds for the Cathedral [Igrega Matriz]. 



May 

June 

July 

August 

September. 
October 



Average for six months. 



Reaumur. 



7 A.M. 



20.9 
20.5 
20.9 
20.8 
20.3 
21.8 



■10 ! 



1 P.M. 



22.2 
22.2 
23.3 
23.9 
24.6 
24.9 



23.5 



5 P.M. 



21.8 
22.5 
23.4 
23.1 
23.7 
24 



23.2 



The same by therm. Fahrenheit. 



7 A.M. 



78.1 

79 

78.8 

77.6 

81 



79 



1 P.M. 



82 

82 

84.4 

85.7 

87.3 



84.8 



84.6 

84 

85.3 



84.2 



Note. — The lowest average at Para recorded by Srs. Soares and Pinto was that of December, at 5 
A.M., when it was Reaumur 18.7, (Fahrenheit 74.7;) but there is no 5 A.M. record for the four succeeding 
months. The lowest average at Manaos in the six hottest months of the year was in June, at 10 p.m., 
Reaumur 19, (Fahrenheit 74.7,) and at 3 a.m., Reaumur 19.2, (Fahrenheit 74.9.) Para is dryer and a little 
cooler than Manaos. 
638 



Appendix I. 



639 



LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE OF PLACES ON THE AMAZON. 



From surveys by Srs. J. da 


C. Azevedo and Soares Pinto. 






Latitude South. 


Longitude West 
of Greenwich. 


Ordinary Level 
of River above 
that of the Ocean. 


Declivity of the 
Amazon current, 
in English feet. 




1° 27' 06" 
1 43 08 
1 24 57 

1 49 00 

2 24 50 

1 55 03 

2 37 25 

3 08 05 
3 08 04 


48° 26' 17" 
50 25 39 
61 34 47 

53 25 54 

54 39 14 

55 26 29 

56 40 58 

58 22 24 

59 57 03 


Metres. 
10.71 
12.49 
13.09 
14.62 
15.38 
17.70 
24.23 
25.26 
28.19 
35.09 
36.79 
37.34 
38.03 
38.26 
45.99 


Feet. Inches. 
35 1.6 




40 11.7 




42 11.3 




47 11.6 




50 5.5 


Obidosf 


58 0.8 


Villa BellaJ 


79 5.9 




84 2.2 




92 5.8 




115 1.5 








120 8.4 








123 9.8 








124 9.2 








125 6.3 




4 15 00 


69 52, 13 


150 10.6 







* On the island of Marajo, (southwest portion,) 131 geographical miles from Para. 

f The tide reaches Obidos during the lowest stage of water. 

% Sometimes called Villa Nova. 

§ Before the careful observations of Srs. J. da Costa Azevedo and Soares Pinto, the estimates of 
the elevation of the river above the level of the ocean were mere guesses : e. g. the level of the river 
at Manaos was placed by Spix and Martias at 169 (metres) 57cms. (English feet 556 4 inches) above 
the ocean, Castelnau at 62m. 48cms. (204 feet 11£ inches), and by Herndon, 1475 feet(I); whereas the 
real level above the ocean is 92 feet 5£ inches. Can there be found elsewhere in this world such a 
channel for internal navigation ? 

THE DECLIVITY OF THE AMAZON PER LEAGUE* (PORTUGUESE) PROM TABATINGA 

TO PARI. 



From Tabatinga to Villa S. P. d'Olivenca 

" Villa d'Olivenca to Teffe (Ega) 

" Teffe to Coary 

" Coary to Manaos 

" Manaos to Serpa (129 geographical miles). 



Serpa to Villa Bella (159 
Villa Bella to Obidos (105 
Obidos to Santarem ( 73 
Santarem to Prainha (100 
Prainha to Gurupa (143 
Gurupa to Breves (119 
Breves to Para (131 

Para to mouth of the Amazon. 

Average declivity per league.., 



do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 
do. 



Inches. 



.720 
.400 
.870 
.970 
.940 
.200 



.140 
.910 
.900 
.810 

.847 



4.090, or 1 inch per mile. 



Count de Castelnau's observations in 1844 make the declivity per league 4.14 inches. 

Observations of Commander Thomas O. Selfridge, U. S. N., and of Engineer 

Keller-Lexjz in ger. 

Mr. Keller-Leuzinger, for the Madeira Navigation Company, in 1870-71, and, again, Commander 
Thomas O. Selfridge, U.S.N, (in the U.S. corvette "Enterprise"), 1878, made surveys of the 
Madeira up to S.Antonio, and partial surveys on the Amazon, as high as Manaos (Barra of Rio 
Negro). Their partial observations on 900 miles of the Amazon only confirmed those of Senor Azevedo 
and Soares Pinto, who, for years, under the Brazilian government, made observations on 2000 miles 
of the great river. Commander Selfridge gives the latitude and longitude of several points on the 
Madeira, below the Falls of St. Anthony. From his report I extract the following: — The mouth of 
the Madeira River, latitude, south, 3° 22' 41", longitude, west, 58° 45 / 35" ; Borba (on the Madeira), 
^titude, south, 4° 23' 13", longitude, west, 59° 35' 11" ; S. Antonio, latitude, south, 8° 48' 13" 
longitude, west, 63° 55^ 05". 

* The ordinary Portuguese league is about four English miles. 

Note. — I observed the tide at Obidos in November, 1862 ; Mr. Bates, in 1855, observed it on the 
Tapajos, a distance of 530 miles from the ocean. This tide is of fresh water banked up or driven 
inward by the regular ocean tide. — J. F. C. 



Appendix J. 



i t 



X;-.- } 



l r— -X 



w-^-- 



(f . A M E K 1 A rffew 1 york 

\t^- lr\<? i 

* ! .BERMUDAS <c0> 





-JS/BNAMBUCO 



VALPARAISO 



IO DE JANEIBC 
ST. CATHARINE'S 



MONTE VIDEO 



^; La Plata 



STEAM 
R O U T E S 

TO 

BRAZIL. 



Time Table of the United States and Brazil Mail S. S. Line. 
(0. H. Mallory & Co., Agents, Pier 20, East River, New York City.) 



Passage from New York to Rio de Janeiro. 



Leave New York 5th of each month. 

Arrive at St. Thomas (1400 miles) the 10th 
" Para (1610 " ) the 17th 

,; I'ern'buco (1090 " ) the 22d 
" Rahia (375 " ) the 24th 

" Rio Janeiro( 725 " ) the 27th 

— Total 5200 

Total running time 20 days, 8 hours 
Four calls 1 " 16 >l 
Stay at Rio 8 or 9 days, as the previous 
month may have had 30 or 31 days. 



Stay 



hours. 



Passage from Rio de Janeiro to New York. 



Leave Bio the 5th of each month. 
Arrive at Bahia ( 725 miles) the 8th 

" Peru'buco ( 375 " ) the 10th 
" Para (1090 " ) the 14th 

" St Thomas (1610 " ) the 20th 
" New York (1400 " ) the 26th 
Total running time, 19 days 4 hours. 
Four calls 1 " 12 " 
Prom New York to Rio and back, including 
stay at Rio, 51 days. Outward and 
homeward bound steamers meet near 
Pari on the 15th of each month. 



Stay 

in 

Port. 



hours. 

6 
12 
12 



The United States and Brazil Mail Steamship Line corresponds, 1st, at St. Thomas, with the English, 
French, and Spanish steamers, which run to 43 ports in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, 
New Granada. Venezuela, and the Quianas; with the English and French lines to Europe; 2d, at 
Para, it corresponds with tho Amazon Navigation Company's steamboats, which run upas far as Peru, 
and are in connection with Peruvian steamboats on the Upper Amazon, and with Brazilian coast 
Steamers for Maranham, Ceara, &c. ; 3d, at Rio, with the French and English steamers which go to 
Montevideo and Buenos Ayres. 



INDEX. 



Abdication of Dom Pedro I., 83. 

Aboriginal names, 306. 

Aborigines, 466. 

Academy of Fine Arts, 261. 

Academy of Laws, 369. 

Acclamation of Dom Pedro II., 223. 

Administration of Brazilian law, 263-267. 

Advertisements, 146, 147, 158, 254. 

Agassiz, 302, 502, 554. 

Alagoas, province of, 511. 

Almeida, Furquim de, speech, Appendix 

629. 
Almeida, Joam de, 117-120. 
Alto-Amazonas, province of, 563. 
Amazon River, 539-542, 554-556, 573. 

canoa, 551. 

Cetacea of, 555. 

discovery of, 564. 

entrance to, 541. 

expeditions, 563, 568, 574, 581. 

explorations, 554. 

first Protestant sermon on the, 542. 

future of, 581. 

Navigation Company, 547. 

origin of name, 566. 

source, 573. 

steamers, 575. 

tributaries, 573. 

Valley (area of), 574, 581. 
Amazons, tribe of, 566. 
Amenities of quarantine life, 514. 
American Cemetery, 485. 

dentist, 403. 

factory, 274. , 

machinery, 501. 

manufactures, 195, 238, 501. 

Seaman's Friend Society, 200. 

sheep, 431. 
Americus Vespucius in Brazil, 49. 
Anacondas, 508. 

one that swallowed a horse, 509. 
Anchieta, 115-117. 



G, 



Andrada, Antonio C, 215, 218, 222, 373-377. 

death of, 383. 

Jose" Bonifacio, 72, 73, 83, 215, 224, 272, 
323, 373. 

Martin Francisco, 73, 220, 224, 376, 
383. 
Annoyances magnified, 507. 
Ant-hills, 359, 442. 
Apprentice system, 586, 587. 
Araguaya explorations, 463, 502. 
Archery, 558. 
Armadillo, 193. 
Army, 180. 

Astronomy under difficulties, 430. 
Asylums, 107-123. 
Author of "Portuguese Hymn," v. 
Aymores, ferocity of, 471. 

Bahia, city of, 475, 476. 

history of, 478, 479. 

recaptured from Hollanders, 482. 

sociability of, 484. 

view of, 489. 
Baronial style, 440. 
Bastos, A. C. Tavares, 139, 197. 
Bates, 562. 

Bay of Rio de Janeiro, 14, 299. 
Beautiful panorama, 516. 

scenery, 345. 
Bees, indigenous, 454. 
Beggars, 128. 
Bennett's, 205, 210. 
Bible Christian, 519. 

distribution, 255-258, 306, 336, 387-395. 
Bigg-Wither, Mr., 333. 
Bird Colony, 405. 
Bishop Moura, 379. 
Blooming Forests, 277, 278. 
Boat-bill, 571. 
Boa Vista, 279. 
Botafogo, 16, 44, 101, 210. 
Botanical gardens, 208. 



41 



642 



Index. 



Brazil, arrival of royal family, 65. 

at the Centennial, 591-593. 

discovery of, by Pinzon, 46. 

Cabral, 47. 

extent of, 433. 

first governor, 50. 

independence, 71. 

origin of name, 49. 

resources of, 434, 448. 

revolution in, 72. 

sanitary condition of, 123. 
Brazilian colonies, 413. 

Constitution, 76, and Appendix B, 614. 

dinner, 310. 

Emperor, 212-250, 588-592. 

Empress, 212, 229. 

funerals, 203. 

gentleman, 181. 

Historical and Geographical Institute, 
261. 

home, 161. 

ladies, 163-175. 

literature, 251, 602. 

parties, 183. 

politics, 183. 

ports opened to the world, 65. 

statesmen, 184-186. 

writers, 602. 
Bridge of novel construction, 411. 
Brotero of San Paulo, 427. 
Brotherhoods, 107-123. 
Burial of the Innocent, 343. 
Butterflies, 346. 



Cabral, 47-49. 

Cadeiras, 476, 477. 

Campinas, 400. 

Campos, 465. 

Campo Santa Anna, 211. 

Candiota coal, Appendix H, 633. - 

Canoe voyage, 328. 

Canta Gallo. 297. 

Cape Frio, 464. 

Caramuru, 478. 

Carta regia, 65. 

Cascades, 206. 

Ceara, 527. 

exploration of, 502. 
Charlatanism, 342. 
Childs, George W., 592. 
Chinese tea, its culture in Brazil, 417-420. 
Chronological summary, Appendix A, 611. 
Church, Col., 460. 
Churches, 121-148. 
City of Pittsburg, 235. 
Climate of Brazil, 268-270, and Appendix I, 

638. 
Coal-mines, 347, Appendix H, 633. 
Coffee, at the Centennial, 593. 



Coffee carriers, 29, 135. 

its history and culture, 449-451. 
Coligny's colony, 53. 
Colleges, 177, 178. 
Colonia Donna Francisca, 334. 

Joinville, 332, 334. 
Colonies, condition of, 413. 
Colonization, 410. 

Commerce of Brazil, 195, Appendix F, 624. 
Commerce of Brazil with United States, 501, 

593-597. 
Condamine, de la, 568. 
Constancia, 283. 
Constitution of Brazil, 76, and Appendix B, 

614. 
Convents, 107-123. 
Cool resorts, 270. 
Corcovado, 15, 103-105, 209. 
Cormorant and slavers, 315. 
Coronation of D. Pedro II., 226. 
Corpus Christi, 156. 
Cotton-factory, 499. 
Council of State, 227. 
Course of law study, 371. 
Curious items of trade, 360. 

trial, 266. 
Custom House, 28-32. 



~~"~-* -Declar 



Daring navigation, 497. 

Deceived custom-house officials, 419. 

ation of Independence, 71. 
Desterro, 344. 

Diamond- and gold-mines, 448, 462, 463. 
Difficulties overcome, 241. 
Diplomatic and consular corps, 610. 
Discovery of Brazil, 46. 
Diseases in Brazil, 414-416, and Appendix D, 

617. 
Distinguished men, 373. 
Dom Joao VI., 64, 69. 
Pedro I., 69-85. 
Pedro II., 217-250, 581-592. 
Duguay Trouin, 62. 

Eating and drinking, 173. 
Education, 163, 176, 178. 
El Dorado, 564. 
Elections, 182, 607. 
Elephantiasis, 109. 
Emancipation law, 139, 583-586. 
Emigrants' instructions, terms, &c, 335, 410. 
Emperor of Brazil, 217-250, 581-592. 

his remarkable talents, 232. 

on board an American steamer, 235. 

views on slavery, 582. 
Emperor's birthday, 491. 

travels, 588-592. 
Empress of Brazil, 212, 229. 
English Cemetery, 201. 



Index. 



643 



English chapel, 203. 
engineer, 318. 
slaveholders, 137. 
Enslavement of the Indians, 368. 
Espirito Santo, 465. 
Events after abdication of Dom Pedro I., 

213. 
Ewbank, Mr., 95, 96, 207, 598. + 
Excursions, 207. 
Exhibition of United States manufactures, 

239. 
Expenses of travelling, 6, 295. 
Exploration of rivers, 457-460, 502. 
Exposition in America, 591-593. 
Extent of the empire, 433. 
Ex votos, 95, 96. 

Fallen forest, 338. 
Falls of Itamarity, 435. 
Falua, 194. 

Family recreations, 175. 
Feather flowers, 37. 

Feijo, Bishop, senator and regent, 216, 379- 
382. 

visit to, 380. 
Fig-tree, gigantic, 437. 
Finest steam-voyage in the world, 198. 
Fire-flies, 293. 

First Protestant church in America, 54. 
First steamer at Coimbra (Upper Paraguay), 

459. 
Fish on the Amazon, 555. 

on the Madeira, 556. 
Forest flowers and scenery, 277. 
Foster, Captain, 235. 
Foundling Hospital, 113. 
Fourth of July in an English family, 427. 
Frade Yasconcellos, 357. 
French in Brazil, 54, 62. 
Funerals, 203. 

Gambling, 126. 

Gas, 124. 

Gavia, 15, 105. 

Genevese missionaries, 54. 

Gillmer, 484. 

Gloria Hill, 92-101. 

Godin, Madame. '568. 

Gomes, 422-424^ 

"Gondola," 42-44. 

Goyaz, province of, 453-456. 

Great ant-eater, 445. 

Guarana, 578. 

Guarany of Gomes. 424. 

Happy valley, 287-289. 
Harpy eagle, 260. 
Heath, Mr., 283, 284. 
Heaven of the moon, 357. 



Hercules beetle, 427. 

Herds and herdsmen, 348. 

Herndon's explorations, 574. 

Historical and Geographical Institute, 261. 

Historical data, 369. 

Hollanders in Brazil, 481. 

Home-life, 163, 169. 

Homeward bound, 421. 

Horse-cars, 27, 40, 44, 45. 

Hospitalities of a padre, 385. 

Hospitals, 107-123. 

Hotels, 6, 44. 

House of Correction, 130. 

Huguenots, 54. 

Humming-bird, 484. 

Hunter, Hon. William, 227. 

Ice, 175. 

Iguana, 293-295. 

Image factory, 494. 

Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, 261. 

marriages, 229. 
Improvisator, 272. 
Inclined plane at Rio, 45. 
Indian archery, 558. 

civilization, origin of, 467. 

names, 307. 

revolution at Para, 543. 
Indians, 351, 470. 
India-rubber, 552. 
Inga, view from, 192. 
Intrudo, 148. 
Itamarity, 435. 

Jacana, 572. 

Jaguar, or Brazilian tiger, 445, 557. 

Jangada, 525. 

Jesuits, 366-368. 

Journals of Puo, 252, 253. 

Journey to Sao Paulo, 354. 

Kane, Dr., 459. 

Keel-bill, 437. 

Killing Judas, 154. 

King of Portugal in Brazil, 65. 

Knighthood, orders of, 610. 

Lady's impressions of travel, 273. 

Lagoa de Freitas, 209. 

Lasso, 349. 

Law School of Sao Paulo, 369-372. 

students and convents, 361. 
Lessons in Portuguese, 33. 
Library, 259. 
Limeira, 402. 
Lingoa Geral, 471. 
Literature, 251, 602. 
Longfellow, 233, 244, 245. 

Hawthorne, and Webster, 249. 



644 



Index. 



Long river-route to Atlantic, 456. 
Lopez and Paraguay, 352. 
Lotteries, 127. 

Maceio, 511. 

Machado, Alvares, 377. 

Madeira and Marmore Company, v. 

Magnificence of nature, 539. 

Mandioca, 189. 

Manufactures, 498-501, 525, 624. 

from the United States, 195, 238, 501. 
Maranham, city of, 533. 
Marketing, 170. 
Marmore, v. 
Marmoset, 510. 
Marriage, 164. 
Martyn, Henry, 486, 487. 
Mato Grosso, 456. 
Maury, Lieut., 579. 
Mawe's experience, 362. 
Medical schools, 180, 490. 
Mexico and Brazil compared, 77. 
Military and Naval Academy, 179. 
Milk-cart, 166. 
Mina negroes, 135. 
Minas Geraes, 61, 435. 
Mines and other resources of Minas Geraes, 

61, 448. 
Miracle explained, 495. 
Misericordia, 109. 
Missionaries, 54, 160. 

in Sao Paulo, 386. 
Montana, 538. 
Montserrat, 488. 
Moura, 379. 

Mulatto improvisator, 272. 
Museum, 241, 260. 
Music in Brazil, 97, 163, 261, 424. 
Musical cart, 447. 

innkeeper, 426. 

Natal, 527. 

National library, 259. 

Navigation on Paraguay, 459. 

Negroes, skilful, 498. 

New disease, 415. 

New York Historical Society, 239. 

Night among the lowly, 398, 399. 

scenes, 17, 45, 89, 93. 

travelling, 354. 

with a boa-constrictor, 403. 
Nobility in Brazil, 610. 
Nova Fribourgo, 295. 
Novo Mundo, 252. 

Old Congo's spurs, 397. 
Omnibus, 38, 42. 
Orchidaceous plants, 341. 
Orellana, Francisco de, 564. 



Organ Mountains, 277, 283. 
their height, 282. 

Paca, 446. 
Padiola, 527. 
Page, Lieut., 457-459. 
Palace of viceroys, 27. 

S. Christovao, 248. 
Palm-tree, 88, 171. 

and its uses, 468, 469. 
Para, 540, 550, 561. 

revolution at, 543. 
Paraguay tea, or mate, 321-324. 
Parahiba do Norte, 526. 
Parallel to the Black Hole of Calcutta, 545. 
Parana, province of, 320. 

first president of, 320. 
Paranagna, 312-319. 
Parliament, opening of, 211. 
Parties, 183. 
Passeio Publico. 41. 

"Pastoral " of the Bishop of Para, 561. 
Paulistas, 368. 
Pedlar, 168. 

Pedro II. Railway, 302. 
Peixe-boi, 555. 
Pennsylvanian in Brazil, 402. 
Pernambuco, 513-525. 

commerce of, 521. 

houses of, 515. 
Peter Parley in Brazil, 439. 
Petit, Judge, description of Maranham, 533, 

534. 
Petropolis, 300-302. 
Pinzon, 47. 
Pious pagans, 95. 
Pizarro, Goncalo, 563. 
Plan of colonization, 412, 413. 
Plant, Nathaniel, 347, 633-637. 
Plantation in Minas Geraes, 438. 

orchestra, 441, 442. 
Police, 124-128. 
Politics, 183. 
Ponte da Area, 192. 
Population, Appendix C, 616. 
Porters, 476. 
Portugal, Marcos, v. 
Portugal, past glory of, 51. 
"Portuguese Hymn," v. 

language and literature, 603, 604. 
Post-office, 34-36. 
Praia do Flamengo, 86-91. 
Praia Grande, 187. 
Priesthood, 141-145, 604. 
Printing introduced, 66, and Appendix A, 611. 
Prison reform, 130. 
Procession, 150. 
Produce of Amazon. 553. 
Proposition to abolish celibacy, 381. 



Index. 



645 



Protestants, 54-60, 160. 
Provincial revolts, 351. 
Purus River, 502. 
Pyrotechny, 99, 101, 400. 

Railroads, 299, 302, 365. 

Rainy season, 531. 

Recife, improvements of, 514. 

Reforms needed, 605. 

Religion, 140. 

Religious disabilities, Appendix G, 629. 

quackery, 158. 
Republic of Palmares, 512. 
Reverses of Jesuits, 368. 
Rio de Janeiro, 21. 

Bay of, 15, 51. 

capital of Brazil, 187. 

City Improvements Company, 90. 

Custom-House, 30. 

early condition, 61. 

Exchange, 28. 

founded, 58. 

historic reminiscences, 14. 

journals, 252, 253. 

libraries, 259. 

literary and scientific societies, 261. 

markets, 170. 

municipal government, 124. 

paving, 45, 87, 106. 

public promenade, 41. 

squares, 25, 38, 211. 

Rua Direita, 27. 
Ouvidor, 36. 

schools, 177. 

splendid views, 19, 22, 88, 192, 205. 

'"tigers," 89. 

under the viceroys, 63. 
Rio Grande do Norte, 527. 
Rio Grande do Sul, 347-351. 
Romantic life of a naturalist, 404. 
Rosas, overthrow of, 351. 
Russian vessels in limbo, 317. 

Sabbath observance, 188. 

Saint Anthony, wonderful image of, 494-496. 

Catherine's, 345, 346. 

Vincent, 51, 312. 
Saldanha Marinho, 186. 
San Domingo, 187. 

Francisco do Sul, 325. 

Sebastian, 307. 
Sanitary condition of Brazil, 123. 
Santo Aleixo, 271-277. 
Santos, 309. 

Sao Cyriaco gold-mines, 448. 
Sao Paulo, 361. 

history of, 366. 

law school, 365. 369-372. 

respect for, 364. 



Schools, 164, 177. 

School-teacher, 335. 

Sebastionists, extraordinary fanaticism of, 520. 

Senhor Jose" and a little difficulty, 424, 425. 

Sermons in honor of the Virgin, 97, 98. 

Serra do Cubitao, 355. 

Sertanejo and market-scene, 524. 

Sewerage, 89, 90. 

Shells, 346. 

Slaverv, 132-139, 582-587. 

Slave-trade, 230, 483. 

Societies, 261. 

Southern provinces, 303. 

Souza, Martin Affonso de, 50. 

Speculations in town-lots, 279. 

Star-Spangled Banner, 427. 

Statesmen of Brazil, 184-186. 

Steamships, United States and Brazil mail, 

195-199, and Appendix J, 640. 
Stingless bees and sour honey, 454. 
Strain, Lieut., 459. 
Sugar and cotton mart, 525. 
Sugar-Loaf Mountain, 16, 106. 
Survey of the La Plata, 457. 
Sweet lemons, 439. 
Swiss bachelors, 287. 
Sydne}' Smith's " Immortal," 273. 



Tapioca, 191. 

Tapir, 285, 286. 

Tea culture in America, probable extension 

of, 420. 
Temperature and periodical rains, 530, 531. 
Terrestrial paradise, 367. 
Thermometrical tables of Rio de Janeiro and 

Para, Appendix I, 638. 
Thetis, wreck of the frigate, 464. 
Three-man beetle, 87. 
"Tigers," 89. 
Tijuca, 205. 
Titles of nobility, 610. 
Todd's Students' Manual, 287. 
Tolling-bell bird, 331. 
Toucan. 290. 
Trade-mark treat}^ 597. 
Tramways, 27, 40, 44, 45. 
Travelled trunk, 329. 
Travels of the Emperor, 588-592. 
Trials by jury, 263-266. 
Tropeiros, 360. 
Tropic night scenes, 17. 
Tupi Guarinf, 470. 
Turtles and turtle-egg butter, 556. 

Ubatuba, 305. 
Umbrella-bird, 559. 

United States and Brazil mail steamers, 197. 
and Appendix J, 640. 



646 



Index. 



Valencia, 498. 
Vampire bat, 504-506. 
Vanilla, 341. 
Vasco da Gama, 47-51. 
Vasconcellos, 216. 
Vergueiro, 82, 378. 

his plan of colonization, 410. 
Vergueiros, the, sketch of, 408. 
Vesper hours, 442. 
Victoria Regia, 571. 
Village cemetery, 339. 
Villegagnon, 53-57. 
Visconde do Rio Branco, 185. 



Viscount of Bom Retiro, 186, 592-594. f 
Visionary hotel-keeper, 365. 

War with Paraguay, 353. 
Washerwomen, 102, 498. 
White ants obedient to the Church, 444. 

Yankee Doodle, 427. 

Yankee house in Brazil, 276. 

Ybecaba, 407. [617. 

Yellow fever, 110, 123, 200, and Appendix D, 

Youth renewed, 289. 

Ypiranga, 361. 



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